KEY POINTS:
A Telecom executive has labelled as "ridiculous" rumours the company was looking at spending $700 million to $1.2 billion on a new hybrid mobile phone network.
Telecom has been left as the sole provider of the CDMA cellular technology in Australia and New Zealand, meaning its customers travelling to Australia are without adequate roaming options.
Kevin Kenrick, head of Telecom's consumer division, said the company was pleased with its worldphone solution, but was always considering new technology, The Dominion Post reported today.
The cost of dual-mode, or worldphone, mobile phones running on CDMA and GSM was falling, he said.
A network using wideband CDMA, running across radio spectrum, was also now a more viable option.
Telecom would build a GSM network, used by rival Vodafone, only if it was the best long-term solution, Mr Kenrick said.
Rumours of a new hybrid network costing $700 million to $1.2 billion were "ridiculous".
- NZPA
