THE DOMINION POST — BUSINESS — 19 MAR 2007 — Page 8

Telcos on track for portability

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TOM PULLAR-STRECKER

VODAFONE and Telecom have given assurances they will meet an April 1 deadline to implement mobile number portability, despite rumours they have been having difficulties passing text and multimedia messages between ported handsets.

From the end of next week, people should be able to keep their mobile phone numbers when they switch between Telecom and Vodafone's networks and their home phone number if they move within their local calling area.

Vodafone spokeswoman Elinore Wellwood says the company is "on track to deliver all the requirements".

She would not comment on whether Vodafone had faced difficulties ensuring text messages would flow freely when customers switched networks.

Telecom spokeswoman Rebecca Earl says Telecom will also meet the deadline and is now running tests.

She says its MMS service, which lets customers send photos between their cellphones, proved challenging. "But it's working as expected now, and we're on track to deliver a seamless solution by April 1."

Telecom customers are already able to retain their phone numbers when switching between pre- and post-paid accounts, Ms Earl says.

Ms Wellwood says Vodafone doesn't allow this, and its position once mobile number portability comes into effect is unclear.

"We'll be announcing details of our porting offerings when number portability comes in," she says.

Telecom spent $40 million preparing for number portability, a project that tied up 100 staff for six months, says its chief technology officer Mark Ratcliffe.

Telecom hopes to pick up dissatisfied "on-account" post-paid customers from Vodafone once number portability takes effect. Several Vodafone post-paid customers have complained on the online technology forum Geekzone of the favourable treatment pre-paid subscribers have received during recent promotions.

It is understood some of the differences stem from delays in modernising Vodafone's post-paid billing system. This was a job chief executive Russell Stanners said contractor IBM would complete last year.

But Ms Wellwood says on-account customers get better deals for national calls on plans such as Choose 60 and enjoy cheap off-peak overseas calls and handset subsidies.

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