Vodafone New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Vodafone New Zealand is a British
owned telecommunications company, a subsidiary of Vodafone
Plc operating in New Zealand. It is New Zealand
's largest mobile phone
operator, based in Auckland, New Zealand and was formed in 1998, after Vodafone
purchased BellSouth
's New Zealand operations. The company employs 1,300 people and has operations in Auckland, Wellington
and Christchurch
and has an extensive dealer (franchising) network across the country.
The company has invested millions of dollars in their 3G
network, but continues to maintain its 2G network improving capacity in congested urban areas. In October 2006, Vodafone bought ihug
, New Zealands third largest Internet service provider
and now provides Internet
service under the Vodafone New Zealand brand name.
, New Zealand's second largest telecommunications company, behind Vodafone. Telecom had the advantage that they had a 6-year head-start on BellSouth, however this advantage has slipped away in recent years.
After Vodafone took over Bellsouth, they expanded their coverage of the network to compete better with Telecom. Vodafone has constantly increased its market share and now surpasses Telecom in mobile customers. However, despite having a seemingly huge customer base, the number of active customers is lower due to abandoned Prepaid accounts left by tourists.
2degrees
, a recent entrant to the mobile telecommunications industry, provide GSM service alongside Vodafone in both the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands. 2degrees also has a roaming agreement with Vodafone allowing 2degrees customers to access Vodafone's GSM network in areas where 2degrees does not have their own mobile coverage. There is currently no such agreement in the reverse direction, even though there are certain areas where 2degrees has service which Vodafone does not currently serve.
In rural areas, however, Vodafone has installed 900 MHz UMTS (3G) service alongside their existing 900 MHz GSM (2G) service. In theory 900 MHz UMTS service should have roughly the same coverage area as 900 MHz GSM service—so instances of UMTS service being handed down to GSM should occur far less often in rural areas due to the similar coverage footprint of the two services. However many older UMTS phones only support 2100 MHz service so these phones will hand down to 900 MHz GSM even though there is UMTS service available at 900 MHz.
was introduced to the New Zealand market on 2 April 2007 which now means that customers can bring, for example, their 021 prefixed number to Telecom. Within New Zealand, the network is sometimes referred to in speech by its prefix—i.e. 'Are you 021?' instead of 'Are you with Vodafone?'.
, in addition to their own 021 prefix. TelstraClear customers, mostly corporates, used to be able to get mobile numbers under this prefix. These customers, however, would be billed by TelstraClear instead of being billed directly by Vodafone. In 2007 this agreement lapsed, and in 2008 some of these customers were transitioned to Telecom New Zealand
who serviced these initially by CDMA2000
technology. Those TelstraClear
029 customers not transitioned to Telecom New Zealand remained with Vodafone.
and TDMA
network.
network, using the UMTS technology now becoming widespread in Europe. Using this standard, Vodafone now offers Video Calling, music downloads, SKY mobile TV, as well as other services from its Vodafone live!
portal.
Vodafone is currently testing a new HSPA+ network with selected clients, to add to its existing UMTS network. HSPA+ is capable of a theoretical maximum 56 Mbit/s download speed and 22 Mbit/s upload speed.
plans, which were revealed to be among the most expensive in the world.
The iPhone 3G was launched in the USA on 11 July 2008 for a suggested retail price of $US199 for the 8GB model. In order to receive the device for the "$199 worldwide" promised by Apple, New Zealand users would have to sign up for a 24-month contract at $250 a month. Disappointed fans also planned protests outside Vodafone stores in response to the iPhone plans and pricing.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
owned telecommunications company, a subsidiary of Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
Plc operating in New Zealand. It is New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's largest mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
operator, based in Auckland, New Zealand and was formed in 1998, after Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
purchased BellSouth
BellSouth
BellSouth Corporation is an American telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies after the U.S...
's New Zealand operations. The company employs 1,300 people and has operations in Auckland, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
and Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
and has an extensive dealer (franchising) network across the country.
The company has invested millions of dollars in their 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
network, but continues to maintain its 2G network improving capacity in congested urban areas. In October 2006, Vodafone bought ihug
IHUG
ihug was New Zealand's third largest ISP , before it was bought, then absorbed by Vodafone New Zealand . According to 2005 estimates, it had over 100,000 internet and phone subscribers...
, New Zealands third largest Internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
and now provides Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
service under the Vodafone New Zealand brand name.
Market share
At the time of purchase in November 1998, BellSouth had 138,000 customers. As of 8 November 2006, the company had about 2.1 million customers and a market share of 55% http://www.vodafone.co.nz/aboutus/12.1.1_facts_figures.jsp?item=facts. The company's main rival is Telecom New ZealandTelecom New Zealand
Telecom New Zealand is a New Zealand-wide communications service provider , providing fixed line telephone services, a mobile network, an internet service provider , a major ICT provider to NZ businesses , and a wholesale network infrastructure provider to other NZ CSPs...
, New Zealand's second largest telecommunications company, behind Vodafone. Telecom had the advantage that they had a 6-year head-start on BellSouth, however this advantage has slipped away in recent years.
After Vodafone took over Bellsouth, they expanded their coverage of the network to compete better with Telecom. Vodafone has constantly increased its market share and now surpasses Telecom in mobile customers. However, despite having a seemingly huge customer base, the number of active customers is lower due to abandoned Prepaid accounts left by tourists.
Coverage
Vodafone operates a GSM (2G) mobile phone network at 900 MHz and 1800 MHz and a UMTS (3G) network at 900 MHz and 2100 MHz. They state that the network provides service in "around 97% of where New Zealanders live, work and play".https://www.vodafone.co.nz/coverage/maps.jsp?hd=foryou.GSM Coverage
Vodafone operates a nationwide GSM service via the 900 MHz band, but in certain areas with high demand there are additional GSM services operating in the 1800 MHz band, usually from existing 900 MHz cell sites, to provide more capacity. Areas with dual-band (i.e. both 900 MHz and 1800 MHz service) includes most major business districts and large shopping malls. In recent years Vodafone have also established some cell sites that only provide 1800 MHz service where it is difficult to release spectrum for more 900 MHz cell sites. Most phones sold since the mid-1990s support both bands.2degrees
2degrees
2degrees is a U.S. and British owned mobile phone provider operating in New Zealand with 580,112 customers . They launched on 5 August 2009 after 9 years of planning. 2degrees currently offers prepaid and pay monthly mobile services...
, a recent entrant to the mobile telecommunications industry, provide GSM service alongside Vodafone in both the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands. 2degrees also has a roaming agreement with Vodafone allowing 2degrees customers to access Vodafone's GSM network in areas where 2degrees does not have their own mobile coverage. There is currently no such agreement in the reverse direction, even though there are certain areas where 2degrees has service which Vodafone does not currently serve.
UMTS Coverage
In the main centres Vodafone operates UMTS (3G) service via the 2100 MHz band. UMTS service is often provided from the same cell site as 900 MHz and/or 1800 MHz GSM services. Unfortunately, most of the existing 900 MHz sites were built in the 1990s when it was not expected that a 2100 MHz network would have to be built. Hence the existing 900 MHz network was not at all optimised for 2100 MHz service. Due to the fact 900 MHz and 1800 MHz signals travel farther than 2100 MHz signals, there were many areas beyond 2100 MHz coverage where UMTS phones would have to hand down to 900 MHz or 1800 MHz GSM service. In recent years Vodafone has established many individual 2100 MHz UMTS sites to enhance 3G coverage.In rural areas, however, Vodafone has installed 900 MHz UMTS (3G) service alongside their existing 900 MHz GSM (2G) service. In theory 900 MHz UMTS service should have roughly the same coverage area as 900 MHz GSM service—so instances of UMTS service being handed down to GSM should occur far less often in rural areas due to the similar coverage footprint of the two services. However many older UMTS phones only support 2100 MHz service so these phones will hand down to 900 MHz GSM even though there is UMTS service available at 900 MHz.
Phone numbers
In New Zealand all mobile phone numbers start with 02. Vodafone is allocated the 021 prefix with other networks being allocated other prefixes — such as 022 to 2degrees, and 027 to Telecom. However Number portabilityLocal number portability
Local number portability for fixed lines, and full mobile number portability for mobile phone lines, refers to the ability to transfer either an existing fixed-line or mobile telephone number assigned by a local exchange carrier and reassign it to another carrier...
was introduced to the New Zealand market on 2 April 2007 which now means that customers can bring, for example, their 021 prefixed number to Telecom. Within New Zealand, the network is sometimes referred to in speech by its prefix—i.e. 'Are you 021?' instead of 'Are you with Vodafone?'.
029 Prefix
Vodafone used to operate the 029 prefix on behalf of TelstraClearTelstraClear
TelstraClear is New Zealand's second-largest telecommunications company and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telstra Corporation , with around 400,000 customers....
, in addition to their own 021 prefix. TelstraClear customers, mostly corporates, used to be able to get mobile numbers under this prefix. These customers, however, would be billed by TelstraClear instead of being billed directly by Vodafone. In 2007 this agreement lapsed, and in 2008 some of these customers were transitioned to Telecom New Zealand
Telecom New Zealand
Telecom New Zealand is a New Zealand-wide communications service provider , providing fixed line telephone services, a mobile network, an internet service provider , a major ICT provider to NZ businesses , and a wholesale network infrastructure provider to other NZ CSPs...
who serviced these initially by CDMA2000
CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is a family of 3G mobile technology standards, which use CDMA channel access, to send voice, data, and signaling data between mobile phones and cell sites. The set of standards includes: CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. 0, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. A, and CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. B...
technology. Those TelstraClear
TelstraClear
TelstraClear is New Zealand's second-largest telecommunications company and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telstra Corporation , with around 400,000 customers....
029 customers not transitioned to Telecom New Zealand remained with Vodafone.
Comparison with Telecom 027 Prefix
Telecom New Zealand, Vodafone's main rival, has fixed 10-digit numbers under their 0272-0278 prefix, which means they have approximately 7 million possible numbers. Telecom originally had mixed 9-digits and 10-digits number using the older 025 prefix, following the same idea Vodafone is currently using. Telecom later introduced the 027 prefix with fixed 10-digits to simplify the numbering system when they introduced their CDMA network. They have now phased out the older 025 prefix since the prefix was attached to their now redundant AMPSAdvanced Mobile Phone System
Advanced Mobile Phone System was an analog mobile phone system standard developed by Bell Labs, and officially introduced in the Americas in 1983, Israel in 1986, and Australia in 1987. It was the primary analog mobile phone system in North America through the 1980s and into the 2000s...
and TDMA
Digital AMPS
IS-54 and IS-136 are second-generation mobile phone systems, known as Digital AMPS . It was once prevalent throughout the Americas, particularly in the United States and Canada. D-AMPS is considered end-of-life, and existing networks have mostly been replaced by GSM/GPRS or CDMA2000...
network.
3G services
On Wednesday 10 August 2005 Vodafone introduced a brand new 3G3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
network, using the UMTS technology now becoming widespread in Europe. Using this standard, Vodafone now offers Video Calling, music downloads, SKY mobile TV, as well as other services from its Vodafone live!
Vodafone live!
Vodafone live! was the brand name for the multimedia portal service of mobile phone operator Vodafone, which was initially developed by Japan's J-Phone under the J-Sky brand...
portal.
Vodafone is currently testing a new HSPA+ network with selected clients, to add to its existing UMTS network. HSPA+ is capable of a theoretical maximum 56 Mbit/s download speed and 22 Mbit/s upload speed.
Plan Pricing Criticism
Vodafone New Zealand has been heavily criticised following the announcement of their iPhoneIPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
plans, which were revealed to be among the most expensive in the world.
The iPhone 3G was launched in the USA on 11 July 2008 for a suggested retail price of $US199 for the 8GB model. In order to receive the device for the "$199 worldwide" promised by Apple, New Zealand users would have to sign up for a 24-month contract at $250 a month. Disappointed fans also planned protests outside Vodafone stores in response to the iPhone plans and pricing.
See also
- ihugIHUGihug was New Zealand's third largest ISP , before it was bought, then absorbed by Vodafone New Zealand . According to 2005 estimates, it had over 100,000 internet and phone subscribers...
- VodafoneVodafoneVodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
- Vodafone AustraliaVodafone AustraliaVodafone Australia is a mobile telephone company, a subsidiary of Vodafone Hutchison Australia. Vodafone Australia was formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone Plc ....
- TelstraClearTelstraClearTelstraClear is New Zealand's second-largest telecommunications company and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telstra Corporation , with around 400,000 customers....
- Telecom New ZealandTelecom New ZealandTelecom New Zealand is a New Zealand-wide communications service provider , providing fixed line telephone services, a mobile network, an internet service provider , a major ICT provider to NZ businesses , and a wholesale network infrastructure provider to other NZ CSPs...
- 2degrees2degrees2degrees is a U.S. and British owned mobile phone provider operating in New Zealand with 580,112 customers . They launched on 5 August 2009 after 9 years of planning. 2degrees currently offers prepaid and pay monthly mobile services...