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New Zealand's poor OECD ranking for phone call costs is not likely to have shown much improvement when official statistics are released soon, says a telco consumer watchdog.
New Zealand mobile phone users pay prices well above average and the country is among the most expensive of 30 OECD countries in which to own a landline, says a new report released by the Ministry of Economic Development.
The statistics in the report go up to August last year and predate the Government's regulation designed to create a more competitive telecommunications environment.
It is understood the OECD will release updated figures in the next few weeks on New Zealand's phone pricing performance.
The Telecommunications User Association of New Zealand chief executive, Ernie Newman, said he did not believe residential phone prices had come down in the past year.
"Residential phone line prices here are inflation-proofed every year against the consumer price index, but in other parts of the world market forces are pushing them down."
He was not convinced there had been a "relative improvement" in mobile prices.
New Zealand's cellphone pricing ranks in the bottom half of the OECD based on Vodafone's plans that require a three-year commitment, the report says.
The ministry questioned the OECD's use of such plans in price benchmarking and intends to raise the issue with the organisation.
Communications Minister David Cunliffe has said New Zealand needs to move faster to improve telecommunications services, with the ministry report showing New Zealand's broadband uptake put it in an unchanged 22nd place out of 30 countries.
A Statistics New Zealand survey containing newer data showed subscribers rose 28.6 per cent in the six months to last September. But Newman believes New Zealand's uptake ranking may have dropped even further.
"The quality of broadband services in this country seems to be getting into disrepute because Telecom seems to be accident-prone on all the new services it is operating."
