Relief staff from around the country are arriving in Christchurch to ensure we maintain round the clock services and support our local people.

Our mobile showroom truck – Optimus Prime is still in Christchurch and is located at Homebase, Marshlands Road, Shirley, it will remain there until at least Friday 4 March, open 9am-5pm. It is offering services such as SIM cards, mobile phones, Vodems and chargers. The public can use phones onboard the truck for free calling.

The following retail stores have now been inspected and are cleared to open;

• Hornby Mall – open now
• Northlands Mall – open now
• Riccarton Mall – likely to open Wednesday

Overall the network is still functioning well and our focus remains on assisting the people of Christchurch. 18 of our cell sites are still reliant on generators for power at this time and a small group of sites are off the air for a variety of reasons, including inaccessibility due to structural damage and underground transmission cable faults. These areas are affected as a result, and there will be reduced coverage in the following suburbs today:

• CBD (North-Kilmore St, East-Gloucester St and South-Lichfield St)
• Richmond East/Avonside
• Avondale East/Aranui
• Linwood North/Linwood East/Woolston West
• Redcliffs/Moncks Bay

Three COWs (trailer-mounted mobile cell sites) have already been deployed in areas most impacted by faulty cell sites. We are also setting up mobile hotspots at various Welfare Centres around Christchurch using our Vodafone Sure Signal (femtocell) solution.

Vodafone NZ customers have already donated over $520,000 to the NZ Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Appeal. Thank you to everyone for your support.
Vodafone NZ customers can donate either $3 or $5 to the cause by TXTing ‘Quake’ to either 333 ($3 donation) or 555 ($5 donation). 100% of all donations will go to the NZ Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Appeal.

Next media update is due Tuesday.

Advice for our customers:

Emergency Mobile Phone Pack
We've put together an online deal exclusively for people living in Christchurch. People living in New Zealand or overseas can order a pack for a Christchurch resident. The Emergency Mobile Phone Pack includes a mobile phone, Prepay SIM and a car charger from $59. All orders must have a Christchurch delivery address. See www.vodafone.co.nz
A note for our corporate customers – please don’t hesitate to contact your Vodafone Account Team if you need any more detailed information on our status in Canterbury, or if your Christchurch-based teams need advice on any aspects of staying in touch.

Divert calls from your Vodafone landline to any New Zealand number
Vodafone will provide call diversions from your Vodafone fixed line home phone or your business line to your mobile phone number of choice without any of the usual diversion charges.
Please contact us on the following numbers to speak to a Vodafone agent:
Consumer customers: 0800 438 448
Business customers: 0800 438 458

What if I had to leave my home or business – will I be charged for my landline?
If you are unable to return to your home or your business premises we will waive any of the normal fees related to cancelling your contract. We will also put your account on hold for 30 days until your situation improves.

Vodafone also suggests that customers leave a temporary message** on their voicemail to let callers know the time and date, location and that they are OK. This provides some reassurance should mobile phone batteries go flat given the difficulties with power supply.

Temporary greeting instructions
**1 Dial 707 for VoiceMail.
2 Select Temporary Greeting from the main menu (Option 6) - this will take you straight to Step 7. Or select Personal Options (option 3).
3 Select Personal Setup (option 4).
4 Select Personal Greeting (option 1).
5 Select Temporary Greeting (option 2).
6 Record the greeting, press #. The greeting will be played back to you.
7 Select one of the following:

Press 1 to Record again
Press 2 to Save
Press 3 to Cancel