Three telcos to offer Telecom's 3G network from July

Digital Island, Telcoinabox and Zintel Cogent will begin offering 3G mobile services to their customers from July with the launch of Telecom Wholesale's Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) services.

"The launch of a MVNO on the Telecom WCDMA network is a very significant development in the New Zealand telecommunications market, and is a big step forward in terms of providing New Zealanders with a greater choice in mobile service provider," says Telecom Wholesale General Manager Marketing, Nick Clarke.

It will be the first time anyone outside of Telecom can offer their customers 3G mobile services via Telecom's WCDMA mobile network.

"The launch of Telecom Wholesale's new mobile service offers Digital Island, Telcoinabox and Zintel Cogent the opportunity to source a full range of the most advanced telecommunications services available in the New Zealand market," says Clarke.

There are considerable growth opportunities for Digital Island, Telcoinabox and Zintel Cogent as a result of becoming MVNOs. They will be able to build a closer relationship with existing customers and attract new customers by offering them a tailored full suite of services - including mobile, broadband, data and calling.

"The Telecom Wholesale MVNO offering has been designed to promote genuine competition in the market by offering simple, competitive pricing that can be tailored to different segments, while also providing the flexibility for service providers to differentiate products from their competitors," says Clarke.

Retail service providers are able to customise and differentiate from their competitors by marketing mobile services under their own brand and providing their own service support. At the same time they will have the security of being supported by Telecom Wholesale, be able to leverage Telecom's existing supplier relationships for device logistics and repairs, and offer their customers a range of generic handsets from world-leading manufacturers sourced by Telecom.

"I'm very excited to be enabling our customers with New Zealand's most complete and advanced range of telecommunications services," says Clarke.