Mobile pricing - Vodafone claims a breakthrough
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Posted Tue 29 January 2008 @ 8:12 p.m. by Ernie Newman
As recently as yesterday the DomPost published an opinion piece by TUANZ in which we referred to, among other things, the high pricing of mobile phones in New Zealand.
Today Vodafone NZ has issued a release saying its consumer prices are now in the top (cheaper) half of the OECD.
If it's true it's great news. Consumers have been waiting a long time for this.
But I'm not about to celebrate yet. The figures Vodafone bases its announcement on are not in the public arena and their summary can't be seen as "official" OECD results. There are oodles of plans to select from when comparing countries, and the judgement call from the independent statisticians at the OECD is a few weeks away. Until then, any interpretation by any interest group or company - Vodafone or for that matter, TUANZ included - is not an official OECD assessment.
I don't want to detract from Vodafone's party, and I'm not presuming that Vodafone is wrong. But right now calling a win is a little like a cricket team screaming "how's that" when the umpire has not yet contemplated his call.
If Vodafone is right and the OECD judges that indeed NZ mobiles generally are in the more competitive half of the OECD, that will be excellent news for TUANZ members. In that case TUANZ will shout six of the good people from Vodafone after work drinks at the Viaduct as a gesture.
A final thought. None of this impinges at all on the Commerce Commission's work to implement regulated co-location at its industry conference this week. Regardless of price, such measures are standard practice internationally and must go ahead to ensure an ongoing competitive market.
Categories: Innovation | ISPs | Regulatory | TUANZ policy | Wireless carriers