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Households and businesses have been offered unlimited national toll calls and faster broadband without a Telecom contract for the first time since the government decision to "unbundle" the local loop in 2006.
Orcon, the country's fourth biggest internet services provider, announced today a range of telephone and internet packages which it said meant households no longer had to deal with Telecom.
The company, owned by state-owned broadcast and telecommunications business Kordia Group, said its new Orcon@home+ service would initially operate in five Auckland exchanges from later this month.
A further 10 exchanges would be added by the middle of the year and major cities would be added over the rest of this year and next year.
The company said its new unbundled ADSL2+ service had the potential to deliver speeds of up to 24 megabits per second (downstream) and 1mps (upstream).
It announced three plans today which it said included "world class broadband".
It said is mid-level plan at $99.95 a month offered broadband, home calling and unlimited national calls and was about $30 cheaper than a similar package from Telecom.
The bottom end package costs $79.95 a month but did not include a telephone line and the top end package cost $119.95 a month.
The service would initially be available to households linked to exchanges in Glenfield, Browns Bay, Ellerslie, Mt Albert and Ponsonby.
- NZPA
