Techsploder

I see in the Herald that “TelstraClear joins cellphone market“, a welcome move as NZ badly needs more competition in the mobile telephony market.

However, unless I’m completely mistaken, this is the third time TelstraClear has joined the mobile market. It had its 029 product for ages, which was basically onsold Vodaphone accounts and devices. That deal ended acrimonously in June last year, when TelstraClear and Vodafone parted ways.

TelstraClear also started work on a 3G network in Tauranga, but that too was canned last year. At the time, TelstraClear was rumoured to have struck a wholesale deal on Telecom’s CDMA network, and that has now come true.

While any competition in the NZ market is badly needed, TelstraClear mobile offering isn’t all that attractive. For starters, it’s part of a landline/broadband/calls bundle, so if you only want mobile service, you’re out of luck.

Second, TelstraClear is reselling Telecom’s existing CDMA/EV-DO Rev 0/A network service. Telecom has promised to keep it going for five or so years after it launches its new WCDMA network, but where does that leave TelstraClear’s customers? Will TelstraClear continue to resell and source CDMA devices, or will it too migrate to WCDMA that requires different handsets and devices?

To be a true Third Entrant in the mobile market, TelstraClear should offer cellular service without forcing customers to sign up for everything and the kitchen sink bundles and also tell people what it intends to do with the service in a year’s time.

September 1st, 2008 | Category: Featured | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL