Telecom's eye on Tasman win

By PETER GRIFFIN

Telecom is highlighting contract wins worth $57 million as it tries to convince the market it is a strong transtasman player.

The largest single contract, worth $40 million over five years, is with the Ministry of Defence. Telecom will assume management of the ministry's data network in a similar arrangement to the $100 million deal it sealed earlier this month with Air New Zealand.

Previously the ministry ran its network internally.

But Telecom in particular is pushing its ability to compete with Telstra as a regional telecoms provider and play up AAPT's chances of winning new business. AAPT last week lost a chunk of business to Telstra with the transfer of Woolworths' telecoms business to Telstra.

But smaller wins with New Zealand companies active in Australia have softened the blow.

AAPT secured a $2 million order to supply voice and data services to The Warehouse's 120 retail stores dotted along Australia's eastern coast. That business used to belong to Telstra.

Telecom also landed a A$5 million, three-year deal to manage Carter Holt Harvey's Australian data network, more business taken from Telstra.

Telecom picked up CHH's mobile business before Christmas.

A further contract win is worth $10 million to Telecom over three years after Owens Group renewed a contract with Telecom for transtasman data network management.

Telecom's general manager of corporate sales, Mark O'Donnell, said a flurry of activity in December had helped Telecom close the year with some big corporate deals in the bag.

But what Telecom really needs to give its Australian business a boost both financially and image-wise, is the win of substantial business from a distinctly "Aussie" corporate.

Telecom's corporate arm will get a boost with the arrival of John Boon, a senior sales executive who has defected from rival TelstraClear.