Telecom NZ has taken the bold move of introducing flat-rate data roaming prices across nine international markets.
The New Zealand incumbent revealed it will offer unlimited data roaming – within fair use guidelines – for just NZ$6 ($5) a day to Australia.
The company will also offer the service for NZ$10 a day in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, the UK, the USA, Canada and Saudi Arabia.
Telecom NZ had been charging NZ$2.50 per MB in Australia, and between NZ$8 and NZ$30 per MB in the other markets.
Roaming rates for the rest of the world are also being slashed to either NZ$2.50 or NZ$5 per MB, from up to $30 per MB.
Such substantial discounts could have a significant impact on Telecom NZ's international roaming revenues.
In a statement, Telecom NZ CEO Simon Moutter said the company was taking a financial risk by assuming a flat fee approach in nine regions. “But we reckon it’s a risk worth taking,” he said.
“We’ve being negotiating hard on new wholesale deals with overseas telcos that underpin our new pricing. At the same time, we’ve had to make assumptions on how customers’ data use behaviour might change under the flat fee approach.”
The operator plans to review the special NZ$6 price for Australia by mid-2013 to determine whether it's sustainable.
Moutter said the company focused on the nine countries first because they are the markets most important to New Zealand business travellers.
Related content
- Webwire: ZTE in $2b JV, Telecom NZ open to foreign owners, True defends DTAC suit
- Singtel launches 2-in-1 pre-paid SIM and travel card
- Telenor Myanmar launches Asia 9 roaming package
- iFREE to offer free SIMs to Lanmei Airlines travelers
- Statistics NZ, Spark deliver first TaaS implementation in Christchurch