KEY POINTS:
TelstraClear is eyeing a mobile deal with Telecom following its split with former mobile partner Vodafone.
TelstraClear's wholesale head, Raymond O'Brien, said the end of its "restrictive" agency agreement with Vodafone over the weekend meant the phone company could investigate different "supplier arrangements" for mobile calling. Until the end of last month, TelstraClear had an agency agreement with Vodafone - signed in 2000 - that allowed it to resell mobile services on the 029 number to an estimated 30,000 customers.
Under the arrangement, TelstraClear customers received mobile services from Vodafone but TelstraClear managed the customer and billing services.
O'Brien confirmed the end of the agency agreement meant TelstraClear could now talk to Telecom about a wholesale mobile agreement. "Now that we're out from under it, we're now in a situation where we can look at alternative suppliers, whereas we couldn't do that during the course of the agreement," said O'Brien. "Vodafone are not the only operators of a mobile network in New Zealand."
However, TelstraClear is continuing to talk with Vodafone over a possible wholesale deal but does not want to sign up to the same deal offered to internet companies Orcon and Compass.
Vodafone's wholesale agreements, which come into effect in October, allow the other phone companies to in effect create their own mobile service using Vodafone's network.
Unlike an agency agreement, a wholesale agreement allows phone companies to come up with their own products and pricing plans. "That's an agreement, in its current form, we wouldn't sign, but we are in discussions with them to see if we can get to a form where we would sign," said O'Brien.
Vodafone's head of corporate affairs, Tom Chignell, said the company was keen to offer a single wholesale proposition to all its customers.
He said Vodafone offered to run the agency agreement until the wholesale deals became active in October, a request that was turned down by TelstraClear.
In April TelstraClear dumped plans to build its own mobile network after a $50 million trial in Tauranga. It blamed a last-minute change to a roaming agreement with Vodafone for dismantling the pilot network, a claim denied by Vodafone.
Getting a roaming agreement was necessary for TelstraClear to offer customers nationwide coverage while it built its own network.
O'Brien said the company's agency agreement was put on notice at the same time, adding there was a vague link between the two disagreements with Vodafone.
Customers would not experience any change to their mobile phone service but would begin receiving invoices and customer support from Vodafone rather than TelstraClear.
End of an era
* TelstraClear and Vodafone end mobile phone deal.
* Under the agency deal TelstraClear resold Vodafone mobile phones and packages.
* TelstraClear may now look to partner up with Telecom to offer mobile services to its mainly business customer base.
