Note: This column represents the opinions
of the writer and as such, is not purported as fact
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Third generation mobile phone services are coming -- just watching Telecom's
advertising assault as delivered by way of TV each night confirms that.
It's looking as if Telecom is going to pip Vodafone at the post when it comes
to delivering a number of advanced data-hungry mobile services such as
video messaging and the like.
I have to admit that I'm left wondering why it is that Vodafone still owns
the single largest share of the mobile market. I know that Telecom's $10 txt deal
has won over a huge number of teenage mobile users and with mobile phones
becoming what amounts to a throw-away device these days, it's only number
portability that might get in the way of business users changing sides.
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Personally I'm a Vodafone user for a number of reasons, not in the least of
which is that they've been very active in supporting this column and have
never hesitated to put their reputation where their mouth is when it comes
to making review units available to people like myself who like to keep their
readers informed about the facts rather than the hype.
The other reasons I like Vodafone include the flexibility and portability
that their SIM-card phones provide, their international roaming capabilities,
and the fact that they always seem to have phones that I like when it's time
to upgrade.
On the downside, $0.20 per txt message is way over the top and not in the least
bit competitive with Telecom's offers. I also dislike the way that many of their
services such as top-up by txt, account balance, etc (at least for pre-pay users
like myself) are so often "unavailable at this time" whenever I want to use them.
What I'm wondering right now however, is just how many Vodafone users are
contemplating a change of provider in the near future.
Will the imminent availability of Telecom's 3G services and their low-cost
txt messaging be enough to lure existing Vodafone customers away?
Or could it be that we'll simply see a marked stratification of the mobile market
into "serious business users" who value Vodafone's strengths and the teen/personal
users who just want budget txting and gee-whiz features?
Now, let's put our opinions about Telecom as a company aside and look a solely
at the prices, features and flexibility of the service offered by the two
major mobile networks.
Which network will you be using for the next 12 months and why? Are 3G features
an important factor in that decision? Is pricing important?
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