Journey's over for residential customers

By MICHAEL FOREMAN

Another internet service provider is to close as a result of Worldcom, the United States parent of Auckland-based Voyager, deciding to suspend its consumer operations in New Zealand.

Some 11,000 Voyager residential customers will be forced to seek alternative connection arrangements from the end of this month, but Worldcom says business customers will not be affected.

Worldcom spokesman David Bathur said the move had been prompted by a decision to specialise in corporate services. But the company would continue to service residential customers in Australia through its subsidiary Ozemail, Australia's second-largest ISP.

Mr Bathur would not say how many employees would be laid off at Voyager but he said some staff would be retained in New Zealand to run the company's corporate services.

It is understood that Voyager employs 12 people, of which nine are call centre staff.

Industry sources said Voyager could become a shell brand in New Zealand as its business customers were being largely supported by Ozemail staff in Australia.

Voyager, formed in 1995, employed 25 people at its height and last year claimed to have 27,000 residential customers.

An email sent to Voyager's residential customers yesterday said arrangements had been made to transfer their accounts to Telecom-owned Xtra.

Xtra spokesman Matt Bostwick said Xtra's $27.50 joining fee would be waived for Voyager customers and email addressed to voyager.co.nz addresses would be forwarded free of charge for six months.