telecom posts

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Wireless, iPhone

Why I'm not buying an iPhone 3GS in New Zealand (spoiler: it's not Apple's fault)

by Chris Rawson (RSS feed) on Jul 16th, 2009

When Apple announced the 3GS with all its whiz-bang new features, honestly the only thing I cared about was the increase in capacity. Everything else was just a bonus. I had my bank account all primed and ready to buy the thing as soon as it came out down here in New Zealand, but I was also keeping a wary eye on the NZ telcos to see what sort of blech they'd bring to the situation. Well, the blech they've brought is bad enough that I'm not buying a 3GS any time soon.

I looked forward to the release of the iPhone 3GS in New Zealand with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Excitement, because it would be nice to finally own an iPhone that can hold all of the music I actually listen to (16 GB just doesn't cut it). Trepidation, because as I made clear in an earlier post, the NZ telcos don't make buying an iPhone a cheap proposition.

The more time passed without any major announcements from either of the main NZ telcos, the more I knew their plans would suck. Vodafone already sold the 3G down here, so they were in a position to do pretty much whatever they wanted to the prices. Telecom was supposedly in "deep negotiations" with Apple to sell the iPhone in New Zealand, but the days stretched into weeks without any official word.

Traditionally, Apple has kept the prices of new products either the same or slightly lower when refreshing product lines like the iPod or iPhone. Many worldwide telcos have followed suit; in fact, across the Tasman Sea, Vodafone Australia offers a free iPhone when you sign up to a two-year plan.

Pretty much the most I was hoping for from the NZ telcos was that they'd keep their plan prices the same. I got my wish, sort of.

Continue reading “Why I'm not buying an iPhone 3GS in New Zealand (spoiler: it's not Apple's fault)”

Tags: iphone, iphone 3GS, new zealand, telecom, vodafone

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, iPhone

Worldwide Mac: Using the iPhone in New Zealand

by Chris Rawson (RSS feed) on Jun 14th, 2009

In a previous post, I discussed some of the shortcomings of New Zealand's broadband infrastructure. A lot of you gave some great responses, which led me to realize that although it's certainly not world-class, NZ's broadband isn't quite as bad overall as I thought - it's just my ISP isn't the greatest in the country, and it doesn't help matters that I don't live in a major city like Auckland or Wellington. When we first got here last July, we were kind of bewildered by pretty much everything (moving to a new country will do that to you), so we signed up for what seemed to be the best value for our money at the time. This turned out to entail a one-year commitment to Vodafone. Well, as it turns out, Vodafone NZ's broadband plans kind of stink compared to some other offerings people brought up, so we'll be ditching them for something better as soon as that commitment is over next month.

With my iPhone, however, I don't have the option of giving Vodafone the heave-ho for at least another 20 months. In fact, right now if you want to buy an iPhone in New Zealand, unless you're willing to jump through a lot of hoops and pay a lot more money, Vodafone is pretty much the only horse in town.

While some Kiwi commenters pointed out that broadband here isn't necessarily as terrible as I made it out to be, one thing they all agreed on was that the mobile phone pricing here is just barely short of criminal. No, let's not mince words: it is criminal. New Zealanders pay some of the highest mobile rates in the world, both for plans and for handsets. What we get for our money down here is pretty astonishing, and not in a good way.

Continue reading “Worldwide Mac: Using the iPhone in New Zealand”

Tags: iPhone, New Zealand, Telecom, Vodafone

Filed under: Apple Corporate, iPhone

In France, Apple must let other carriers sell iPhone

by Robert Palmer (RSS feed) on Dec 17th, 2008

The French government's competition watchdog told Apple that it must allow other carriers besides Orange to offer the iPhone. Orange is a subsidiary of France Telecom.

In September, Orange competitor Bouygues Telecom SA filed a complaint with the Competition Council about the exclusivity agreement. While a decision hasn't been reached on the merit of Bouygues' argument, today's order was a "protective measure" as the Council continues its investigation, likely to take a year or more.

Both SFR (the second-largest carrier in France) and Bouygues Telecom (the third largest) hope to begin selling the handsets soon.

In a statement, the Competition Council said that the Apple-Orange agreement posed a "serious and immediate threat" to competition among carriers, and higher costs for customers.

France Telecom plans to appeal the decision.

[Via BusinessWeek and Reuters.]

Tags: bouygues, competition, france, iphone, orange, sfr, telecom

Filed under: Rumors, iPhone

China Mobile wants 'cut-down' version of iPhone

by Robert Palmer (RSS feed) on Sep 25th, 2008

China Mobile has asked Apple to remove Wi-Fi and 3G networking from the iPhone for its launch in China, according to Apple's Taiwanese manufacturing partner, Foxconn.

China Mobile is asking for the changes to make the phone less appealing to those who would unlock the phone and use it on its major rival's network: China Unicom.

China Mobile has been in sporadic talks with Apple since the original handset was launched last year. Apple agreed to potential revenue sharing, which got talks moving again in July.

Research companies don't doubt that the changes, along with robust Chinese language support, will help Apple's sales in the country. They estimate that there are 28 million potential customers in China.

[Via cellular-news.]

Tags: cellular-news, china, china mobile, ChinaMobile, iphone, telecom

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