Mobile customers set free

Thursday, 1 November 2001, 3:58 pm
Press Release: Vodafone

1st November 2001
Media Release

Over 86,000 mobile users will be freed from their term contracts on 1st November.

Vodafone New Zealand announced today that all of its customers on consumer term contracts will no longer be bound to the Vodafone network.

Marketing Director, Chris Taylor, said Vodafone New Zealand is changing its business after listening closely to customers.

“Customers are telling us that they want freedom to move their phone usage where they want, so we’re getting rid of fixed term contracts for our consumer users and giving business users the choice.

“While we are releasing a large number of our customers from term contracts, we are also moving away from subsidising mobile phone costs. We’ve decided to focus our energy on creating outstanding value to our customers through our service rather than from a handset.

“We’ve had to throw out some of the old rules to meet customers needs. It’s a fresh way of looking at the business, and an exciting time for our customers!” Mr Taylor said.

Vodafone is confident that the new way of business will have positive impacts for the company, and have announced several value-added services including:
- No term contracts for consumer customers
- A choice between no term contract, or a term contract and subsidised handset for business customers
- All customers’ calls will be charged per second after the initial ‘flagfall’ charge of one minute
- Vodafone customers will pay a maximum of 20 cents to retrieve voice messages

The business change is part of a worldwide trend, seeing mobile networks moving away from handset subsidies and term contracts.

About Vodafone

Vodafone New Zealand Ltd is part of Vodafone Group Plc, the world’s largest mobile telecommunications company with more than 95.6 million proportionate customers. The company has interests in 28 countries over five continents.

Vodafone New Zealand now has more than 1.08 million customers on its fully digital network and provides coverage to 97 per cent of the population.

ENDS

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