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I'd wait and see whether the Developer community takes to it. If Google's App Store can't rival Apple's then its all over rover.

@ Muhammad Oli
There is only one smartphone in the race at the moment - the iPhone.
Smartphones have been available in NZ for years, Vodafone has the best range of smartphones now its ever had and more to come and yet only one smartphone gets its own range of Data plans.

All the focus in June will be on calling prices and plans not mobile data unfortunately so I wouldn't expect to see much movement on data prices.


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Posted: 2009-02-05 06:58:55
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Only one smartphone in the race, maybe, but there are several smartphones that would suit me well for my needs and the iPhone isn't one of them. As good as it may be for other people.

You sure Apple isn't paying you?
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Posted: 2009-02-05 07:22:05
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I checked my account (by opening the National Bank iPhone App) and I can confirm there are no payments from Apple.
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Posted: 2009-02-05 07:47:51
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Just seen one of those TelstraClear ads for their $29.95 plan with a free Nokia. They said the plan is only available until 31st of March. Considering the fact that it's the only plan they have, what will be happening in April? Are they stepping up to GSM or pulling out of Mobile altogether?
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Posted: 2009-02-08 08:06:22
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There's lots of articles about the new XT network at the National Business Review for example this one below:

Telecom to turbocharge XT by Christmas
Chris Keall | Tuesday April 28 2009 - 04:14pm

Even before its 3G network’s launch, Telecom has announced plans to triple XT’s speed to 21Mbit/s - that is, faster than most landline DSL connections - by year’s end. Vodafone hits back with its own upgrade plan, running to 4G. Welcome to the mobile arms race.

Some at Vodafone and Telecom (and Telecom especially investors) would like to sit back and reap the benefits of a cap-ex splurge that has seen the two telcos spend $1 billion between them on their respective W-CDMA upgrades.

But now that the two telcos are on the same technology track, allowing head-to-head comparisons, and making it easier for customers to hop between their networks (read: Buy an iPhone from Vodafone, run it on Telecom), the pressure is on move things along.

Telecom’s new W-CDMA 3G network, dubbed XT, will launch May 13 with a 7.2Mbit/s data card, and a selection of phones that can connect at the same theoretical maximum top speed (14Mbit/s connections would be possible too, although they remain hypothetical, given the lack of handsets and data cards to support them).

Mr Gourdie likes to use a music download benchmark. A 5MB track that would take up to 800 seconds (13 minutes) to download on Telecom’s current CDMA network could be sucked down to your phone in as little as 5 seconds on the XT network.

But even before the ink was dry on yesterday’s announcement, Telecom head of retail Alan Gourdie said the telco plans to boost XT’s speed to 21Mbit/s by Christmas.

The telco says the 21Mbit/s turboboost is included in the $574 million allocated for its transition to W-CDMA.

Landline speed, mobile pricing
That’s a dizzying speed. If you manage to hit it - the vagaries of cell tower proximity, network loading and weather allowing (which will combine to often slow you down by half) - you’ll be surfing at faster than most ADSL or ADSL2+ landline connections allow.

You could also go broke very fast if Telecom does not alter the way it charges for mobile data. Like Vodafone (which has started to tilt in the other direction), the telco still charges a high premium for broadband on the go, better suited for the days of sub-1Mbit/s connections.

However, Mr Gourdie would not be drawn on mobile data pricing yesterday.

Vodafone strikes back
Vodafone chief marketing officer Mark Rushworth says his telco, which already has 500,000 customers live on its 3G network, due to be completed in May, has its own upgrade in progress.

“We're going to skip 14Mbit/s and go straight to 21Mbit/s. We’re currently trialling 21Mbit/s and will launch it at the end of a successful trial.”

Mr Rushworth would not be drawn on how long the trial might take, but said that its upgraded 3G service would go live ahead of Telecom’s slated pre-Xmas 21Mbit/s upgrade: “We’ll maintain our lead in coverage and speed”.

Mr Gourdie responds: “We aim to get ahead and stay ahead”.

More, and more, upgrades ahead
Don’t expect the upgrade madness to stop at 21Mbit/s.

Across the ditch, Telstra has already upgrade to 43Mbit/s in selected urban areas - the maximum speed that can be hit by 3G.

Vodafone country manager Russell Stanners has already told NBR that his company could upgrade to an LTE (long term evolution) or so-called 4G network as early as next year - which could double theoretical top speeds again.

Telecom’s Gourdie also name-check’s Telstra’s 43Mbit/s upgrade, and talks admiringly about the LTE upgrade that US carrier Verizon Wireless (part owned by Vodafone) already has underway in the US.

Want to play? You need the right phone
What does the mobile arms race mean for you?

Much better speed, fewer drop outs, better voice clarity, and every expanding roaming options (a year ago, Telecom couldn’t even let you take your own phone to Australia, now it will offer voice roaming to 206 countries, and data roaming to 110, leap-frogging Vodafone. Again, there’s still no pricing, though Mr Gourdie pledges it will be easy to understand, and transparent).

But it also means you have to be wary about being locked into too long a contract with your present mobile phone.

Telecom’s XT and Vodafone’s 3G networks both use a technology protocol called HSPA (high-speed packet access) to wring 7.2Mbit/s from their W-CDMA networks.

To take advantage of that mobile bandwidth, you need a cellphone, data card, or netbook that supports HSPA.

Similarly, later this year when both telcos will the next W-CDMA protocol up the food chain, HSPA+, to boost their mobile bandwidth to 21Mbit/s, you’ll need an HSPA+ compatible phone or data card - which would mean shelling out for an upgrade. In an arms race, everybody pays.

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Posted: 2009-04-29 08:45:23
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Breaking news!

Vodafone taking Telecom to court to protect network
New 5:57PM Friday May 01, 2009

Vodafone is off to court to protest at Telecom's new XT mobile network, in the belief it is the source of interference on the Vodafone network.

Vodafone said it had begun the legal action following a significant rise in the number of customer complaints about interference on its network.

Testing showed serious interference to Vodafone's network caused by Telecom's network, which was still under construction.

Telecom said it would vigorously resist the request for an injunction.

"This is a piece of aggressive behaviour that betrays Vodafone's insecurities about competition from Telecom's new XT mobile network, just 13 days away from the launch," said Telecom chief executive Paul Reynolds.

Telecom said the Ministry for Economic Development had been investigating interference issues between the WCDMA technology used by Telecom and GSM technology used by Vodafone.

It said a letter from the ministry on April 9 said Telecom's WCDMA transmitters meet emission limits specified on spectrum licences.

- NZPA

source
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Posted: 2009-05-01 08:10:02
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Oh god that made me lol!
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Posted: 2009-05-01 09:30:04
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That is a load of rubbish, telecoms network isn't even online, if anything its NZcomms's fault. Look at the uk, how many networks complain about interfearance there? Vodafone you suck, just for that, i'm not gonna top up this month
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Posted: 2009-05-01 09:37:55
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Actually, it is. Do a search from your handset, it'll show up. Your Voda SIM won't be allowed to connect though. Some Telecom staff are online already. Some are even using iPhones on XT because no matter how much they spend on TV ads saying otherwise, Telecom are still miles behind.

There's no 850Mhz frequency in the UK to my knowledge. I assume it's 850900Mhz interference that is the problem.

What if it's true? Then Telecom will cop a lot of flack from irate Voda customers who wonder why their reception is fluctuating.
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Posted: 2009-05-01 10:13:41
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lol well i guess i must have pretty bad reception of xt here then. Probably the best thing about telecom getting a gsm network is (supposedly) we are getting phones closer to the release date, and maybe cheaper
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Posted: 2009-05-01 10:48:24
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