Mobile deal to boost Clear

By RICHARD BRADDELL

Clear Communications will be looking for a 10 per cent share of the mobile market within a year through a reselling deal with Vodafone.

The mobile market is surging, with growth of more than 19 per cent in the last quarter.

With penetration still at a low 1.25 million customers, or 33 per cent of the population, that strong market lift is expected to continue.

Until now, cellular has proved the elusive holy grail for Clear, which was outbid by Vodafone when BellSouth was sold in 1998.

However, Clear said yesterday that its co-branded service, which will use Vodafone's 021 access code, would be closely integrated with its internet service provider Clear Net.

Plans are underway for a mobile news service that would be tailored to suit individual needs, such as for selected stock quotes rather than the whole lot.

In addition to selling mobile phones and subscriptions over the internet, Clear is already offering mobile e-mail, based on short-messaging technology.

While its main focus is on business and existing customers, Clear expects to offer prepaid phones soon.

Chief executive Tim Cullinane said of the long-awaited agreement that it took a while to get there, but the effort had been worthwhile.

"The agreement is very comprehensive and very well thought through and I'm confident it will stand the test of time."

Mr Cullinane declined to go into financial details, other than to say both companies would benefit from Clear's success.