Telco CallPlus & Vodafone ink network usage deal (New Zealand)

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Telco CallPlus has inked a wholesaling deal with Vodafone to offer mobile phones in New Zealand. Under the agreement, CallPlus will go live as a MVNO in August, operating of Vodafone’s network.
Mark Callander, general manager of CallPlus’ Slingshot brand, said the mobile deal built on an established wholesale relationship in the broadband market.
“We’ve managed to get a deal that will work for both parties,” he said.
The wholesale deals establish a common point wherein the network customers are able to create a point of difference – both on pricing and service – from the network operator.
Callander is confident of CallPlus deal that will enable it to offer a range of services not available in the market. He said that was not the case with the first deal tabled by Vodafone when it began offering MVNO contracts in 2007. Callander said the combination of a better relationship with Vodafone and the impending competition from Telecom’s XT Network had improved the deal on offer. Callander said the company would look to bundle the mobile service with its fixed-line and broadband offers.
“We’re fairly aggressive in terms of pricing models and pricing structures. We do things differently,” Callander said. “We wouldn’t have signed up for a deal that didn’t enable us to innovate because we see no value in just being a ‘me too’ reseller.”
Along with CallPlus, Vodafone has also inked deals with Australian telco M2, plus Orcon and Compass, which are due to launch later this year.