Cheap tolls firm ZipFone plans resurrection

By RICHARD PAMATATAU

Cut-price tolls company ZipFone is no longer servicing its customers but hopes a management restructuring following the sudden death last month of one of its founders will allow it to start up again.

The company, which has offered cheaper calls than many of its rivals, has been unable to provide toll services for about a month. Phone lines were disconnected and customer emails to a support line were not returned.

Rajiv Bhandari, Zip director of sales and marketing, said a management restructuring had been under way since director Ken Rangi died earlier this year.

Bhandari said ZipFone had 5000 customers and was growing at a significant rate until this occurred.

Its toll rates were up to 70 per cent cheaper than others, with a flat rate of 9 cents a minute to Australia, the UK and US.

Zip's focus was on ethnic communities, he said.

Last year Zip signed a deal with North Shore Hospital to place free internet terminals in a number of wards as part of the hospital's "wellness" programme.

Mr Bhandari said those terminals were still in operation.

Auckland internet company Orcon bought Zip's internet customer base last year, but Orcon managing director Seeby Woodhouse said neither assets nor the toll business were part of the deal.

Dean Williams, a ZipFone shareholder, said plans were under way to get things sorted.

He said he and another director, Jim Porter, were looking at the company's operation.