Vodafone blasts price rises with $25 home calling

Monday, 9 June 2008, 1:20 pm
Press Release: Vodafone

Vodafone blasts price rise trends with $25 home calling

Vodafone is breaking down barriers and reducing traditional home calling costs, realising a 40%* saving around the country with the new home phone plus local calling plan.

All customers pay is a flat $25 per month to make unlimited local calls. National calling is additional, and is 20c per minute up to a capped $2.50 for two hours.

Kursten Shalfoon, Vodafone General Manager Products and Services says that Vodafone is changing the telecommunications space for consumers – offering ground breaking pricing plans for home calling at better value than traditional plans offered by other NZ telcos.

“While New Zealanders are faced with rising costs of petrol, bread, cheese and mortgage payments, Vodafone is challenging home calling and broadband pricing, and reducing costs to provide better value for consumers.”

As a comparison Statistics New Zealand has released the following information about escalating household costs.

During the March 2008 quarter, food prices rose 1.8 percent and grocery prices 36 percent. Butter rose 33.9 percent, cheese was up 18.9 percent, and bread was 7.3 percent higher.

House rentals increased 1.2 percent, utilities were one percent higher and there was an 8.8 percent rise in electricity prices.

Petrol was up four percent for the quarter, mostly offset by lower prices for international air transport (down 8.6 percent). **

Home phone plus allows customers to unplug from their fixed line and make home calls over the Vodafone network. There are no additional costs such as line rental fees – the per-month plan price is all that anyone will pay for local calls. Customers also retain their existing home number.

“Vodafone understands that people are anxious about adding expenses to their tight household budgets, and so the device which makes this possible is free for all who take up home phone plus over the next three months,” says Shalfoon.

“We also have a plan for people who regularly make national calls. Under home phone plus national all customers pay is $40 a month and they receive unlimited local AND national calls.

“Vodafone is providing certainty of spend and delivering great value for our customers while keeping people connected.”

ENDS

* this saving is for the majority of New Zealand on a standard Telecom anytime plan. In some Wellington areas the saving is approximately $10 realised on some plans.

** source: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0804/S00268.htm

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