Doubling up the trend for text messaging

Josh White

Chatting with friends can get a little hectic for Josh White - while he's talking or texting on one cellphone, there's invariably a message or a call on the other.

The 14-year-old is among the fast-growing number of New Zealanders for whom one mobile is not enough.

Every adult in the country now has a mobile phone, mathematically speaking, and they may soon have more than one.

The New Zealand arm of the world's largest mobile company, Vodafone, this week reported that it had added 68,000 new subscribers in the December quarter, bringing its customer base to 2 million.

Vodafone and Telecom added a combined 500,000 customers in 2005 for a total of 3.6 million, or more than 85 per cent of the nation's population. But the growth won't stop there - analysts say New Zealand will join numerous other countries in expanding beyond 100 per cent saturation. Technology analysis firm IDC estimates that New Zealand will hit 100 per cent by 2008.

That means the trend of mobile users doubling up on devices is bound to increase.

And while Josh, a student at Macleans College in Auckland, admits having two cellphones is sometimes a phone juggling act, it is also extremely worthwhile.

"I send about 1000 texts a month from the two phones, but my combined monthly bill has never been more than about $20."

Josh got his first cellphone when he was 12.

He decided to invest in a second about two months ago.

Telecom's text deal means Josh can send up to 500 messages a month for just one up-front $10 payment, on the Anytime Go pre-paid plan.

On Vodafone's pre-pay Motormouth plan, meanwhile, he can send free texts at weekends. On both networks he has a pre-paid phone.

"During the week I use my Telecom phone and at the weekends I go to Vodafone. Occasionally I have to swap phones when I start using the wrong one, but I realised the savings I could make and also a lot of my friends are starting to do it," said Josh.

Sydney-based telecommunications analyst Paul Budde said doubling up would come from more customers using data and email devices such as BlackBerrys for work purposes, then switching to simpler mobile phones during personal time.

Telecom sees doubling up coming from two directions.

Some customers subscribe to both Telecom and Vodafone services to take advantage of the companies' different price specials; others are switching between devices depending on time of day.

"On the one hand, you've got savvy kids getting the best deals with [Telecom] $10 texting during the week and then using [free texting on] the Vodafone network on the weekend", said Telecom spokesman Phil Love. "On the other, you've got things like Harriers and Apaches and Palm Treos being used during the day, and then a small handset [being used in the evening]."

However, as the communication channels open further, paradoxically they become narrower for some.

"I don't often speak on the phones - it's much more texting because it's easier and cheaper," says Josh.


The plans

Vodafone Motormouth:

Free Vodafone-to-Vodafone texts every weekend
49c per/minute calls to other Vodafone phones at any time
$1.39 to other networks at any time.

Telecom Anytime Go:

500 texts per month for $10
89c per/minute calls to any network at any time