TelstraClear launch hopes to cash in on XT failure

TelstraClear begins offering its business customers re-badged access to Vodafone's mobile network today, hoping to cash in on customers leaving Telecom's XT.

TelstraClear's head of customer experience John Bone said that while no one would wish the failure experienced by Telecom's XT network on any telco, the reality was it had been fortuitous. He said TelstraClear had brought the launch of its service forward to take advantage of disgruntled Telecom customers looking to switch.

Bone said the deal with Vodafone allowed TelstraClear to offer a better range of handsets, which currently includes 10 Nokia and Blackberry devices with more to come.

"To be fair, we are very receptive to people who want to BYO [bring your own handset] because we think there is a large opportunity out there where people have very good handsets that can be re-deployed on the network," said Bone

Contract prices start at $40 for 100 minutes of calling, with data costing $59 per month for one gigabyte; 500 texts will cost $10.

A pre-pay offer for the Vodafone-backed service would be available in the coming months, with existing pre-pay customers remaining connected to Telecom's old CDMA network.

Bone said the pre-pay CDMA customers could then choose to switch to services delivered by the Vodafone network.

TelstraClear signed a three-year deal with Vodafone last year, healing an acrimonious rift between the telco giants over a mobile reseller deal which turned sour in 2007.

This saw TelstraClear take its mobile business to Telecom's old CDMA network, but a delay in getting wholesale access to the new XT network saw it re-evaluate its options.

TelstraClear, which has around 30,000 mobile customers, was aiming to have around 100,000 customers signed up within three years, said Bone.