Telecom to wholesale new 3G network by mid-2010
The National Business Review, 12 November 2006
Telecom has brought forward the timing of the wholesaling of its new 3G mobile network by nearly a year. Telecom Wholesale general manager of marketing Nick Clarke said demand from retailers was behind the move to the earlier wholesaling of the WCDMA 850 mobile network. Wholesaling of the network, which Telecom had been selling to its own customers since May under the XT brand, would start by mid-2010.
Since March, Telecom Wholesale had been running a pilot of a CDMA-based mobile virtual network operator product with Digital Island, which provides telecommunications services to businesses. That had provided invaluable insight that would help with the development of a WCDMA-based product, Mr Clarke said.
Digital Island general manager Blair Stewart said the company was looking at piloting some of its customers on the new mobile network in April 2010, and moving to a full service within two months.
Digital Island's Press Release
Digital Island is delighted by Telecom’s decision to bring forward the date for access to the new WCDMA 850 mobile network.
“Digital Island is very pleased that Telecom Wholesale has chosen to bring forward access to the new mobile network to April 2010. Given that the date has been shortened by more than a year, we see this as a credit to Telecom Wholesale’s commitment to its customers,” General Manager Blair Stewart said. “We are looking at piloting some of our customers in April 2010, and moving to a full service within three months.”
“Digital Island’s mobile services are sold, serviced and billed directly by Digital Island. We use our own number range, but with number portability can accommodate customers wishing to move from other networks. The mobile handset range will include ‘cost effective business’ handsets through to top of the line models from providers such as Samsung, Sony-Ericsson, Nokia and Blackberry. As with our existing voice and data services, we would expect businesses moving to our mobile services to reduce their costs by around 20%,” Mr Stewart said.
Telecom Wholesale’s GM of Marketing, Nick Clarke said “We are excited to be able to start working through plans for the new WCDMA MVNO with Digital Island, giving them the opportunity to provide their end-user customers with the best mobile experience available in New Zealand.”
