Mobile network aims to undercut rivals

2degrees is offering customers 50MB of mobile data for just $6, which it says is the lowest prepay mobile data plan in the market. Photo / Greg Bowker

New Zealand's newest mobile network has launched its first prepay data pack, as it moves to undercut its rivals.

2degrees today said it is offering customers 50MB of mobile data for just $6, which it says is the lowest prepay mobile data plan in the market.

2degrees chief marketing officer Larrie Moore said the plan was also significantly cheaper than its casual data plan, which charges a minimum of $10 to access a data plan.

The 50MB pack lasts 30 days and can be repurchased multiple times within each month.

Telecom offers prepay users 20MB of data for $6, while Vodafone offers $10 for 100MB on prepay, and outside of that $1 per day for 10MB, Moore said.

The telco said the launch was driven by customer demand for better value from mobile data packs.

Of the 4.3 million mobile connections in New Zealand, only 200,000 connections were used to access the internet, because prices for mobile data and the cost of handsets in New Zealand were too high, Moore said.

Moore said the pack was aimed at smartphone users, from businesses wanting to access their emails to younger people looking to access social networking sites.

2Degrees also announced today it was launching its first text bundle with $10 giving customers 500 texts to any New Zealand network.

Moore said mobile text users had been "held hostage" by paying high prices to text family and friends on other networks.

"We know customers in this market have been rorted for so long and that's what we want to change."

"With 2degrees $10 text, our customers get a great rate to text anyone anytime so they can stay better connected, regardless of the network they text."

Moore said customers should expect further announcements in the coming months, as the telco looked to further establish itself in the New Zealand market.

"There are only three networks on the market and we don't aspire to be number 3 for very long. "We've certainly got our eyes on the number two spot," Moore said.

Since its launch last August, 2degrees says it has halved the price of standard prepay mobile calls and texts and attracted more than 200,000 customers, taking a 3.8 per cent share of the mobile market.