Telecom changes to roaming charges

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Telecom changes to roaming charges

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#730223 11-Dec-2012 10:07

freitasm:
sbiddle: Probably because Telecom don't want to become the world's largest travel SIM provider in the world and instantly have thousands of foreign customers picking up $5 SIM cards and Telecom racking up massive losses as they thrash the data.

^ This + 1

+2.... I would have thought it would be obvious why you wouldn't offer flat rate roaming data on prepaid accounts. You don't have an account with us so what would then be deemed "fair use".

I had a great chuckle when I read the post from Steve.. Hit the nail on the head so to speak.

lchiu7: Probably nothing to do with that but the fact with prepaid there is no contract with Telecom so they need to be able to keep track of your usage internationally in real time and cut you off when your balance is empty. But with on account phones, you have signed a contract so they don't need to track your usage in real time and can bill you in arrears..

Not true... since postpaid are for the most part real time rated too.. That's how the Roaming Smartcaps works so you don't blow out your bill. It's all around what Telecom deem to be fair use. Say you have a 2GB plan in NZ... Would you then expect to torrent 10GB while roaming overseas?

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#730224 11-Dec-2012 10:08

You'd risk seeing "Telecom NZ unlimited mobile for cheap NZ pesos" ads in all eBay sites around the world...

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#730259 11-Dec-2012 10:38

freitasm: You'd risk seeing "Telecom NZ unlimited mobile for cheap NZ pesos" ads in all eBay sites around the world...

Quick, somebody trademark that before Telecom spot a new business model!

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#730337 11-Dec-2012 12:09

sbiddle:
old3eyes:
plambrechtsen:
richms: Friend was hammering the $2 optus deal over there with torrents etc. After a month they boot you off it so you go in and get another sim. No evidence of IEMI being tracked across the use of it.

And folks wonder why it isn't offered on prepaid....

I'm sure Rish's friend is a minority so why isn't it offered to prepay??

Probably because Telecom don't want to become the world's largest travel SIM provider in the world and instantly have thousands of foreign customers picking up $5 SIM cards and Telecom racking up massive losses as they thrash the data.

Ok . I'll except that reasoning but why the expensive $1 / meg and not $1 / 10meg..??

Regards,

Old3eyes

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#730700 11-Dec-2012 18:08

old3eyes:
sbiddle:
old3eyes:
plambrechtsen:
richms: Friend was hammering the $2 optus deal over there with torrents etc. After a month they boot you off it so you go in and get another sim. No evidence of IEMI being tracked across the use of it.

And folks wonder why it isn't offered on prepaid....

I'm sure Rish's friend is a minority so why isn't it offered to prepay??

Probably because Telecom don't want to become the world's largest travel SIM provider in the world and instantly have thousands of foreign customers picking up $5 SIM cards and Telecom racking up massive losses as they thrash the data.

Ok . I'll except that reasoning but why the expensive $1 / meg and not $1 / 10meg..??

Same with all roaming pricing...because they can

lchiu7

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#731263 12-Dec-2012 11:46

plambrechtsen:
freitasm:
sbiddle: Probably because Telecom don't want to become the world's largest travel SIM provider in the world and instantly have thousands of foreign customers picking up $5 SIM cards and Telecom racking up massive losses as they thrash the data.

^ This + 1

+2.... I would have thought it would be obvious why you wouldn't offer flat rate roaming data on prepaid accounts. You don't have an account with us so what would then be deemed "fair use".

I had a great chuckle when I read the post from Steve.. Hit the nail on the head so to speak.

lchiu7: Probably nothing to do with that but the fact with prepaid there is no contract with Telecom so they need to be able to keep track of your usage internationally in real time and cut you off when your balance is empty. But with on account phones, you have signed a contract so they don't need to track your usage in real time and can bill you in arrears..

Not true... since postpaid are for the most part real time rated too.. That's how the Roaming Smartcaps works so you don't blow out your bill. It's all around what Telecom deem to be fair use. Say you have a 2GB plan in NZ... Would you then expect to torrent 10GB while roaming overseas?

I stand corrected here about the real time usage but the point I really wanted to make was, Telecom has no way to get money from you if you are pre-paid since you don't have to identify yourself to them. For post paid customers, if you somehow manage to rack up some big bills (though it's hard now with $6/day for data) they can come after you.

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#731342 12-Dec-2012 13:03

lchiu7:
plambrechtsen:
freitasm:
sbiddle: Probably because Telecom don't want to become the world's largest travel SIM provider in the world and instantly have thousands of foreign customers picking up $5 SIM cards and Telecom racking up massive losses as they thrash the data.

^ This + 1

+2.... I would have thought it would be obvious why you wouldn't offer flat rate roaming data on prepaid accounts. You don't have an account with us so what would then be deemed "fair use".

I had a great chuckle when I read the post from Steve.. Hit the nail on the head so to speak.

lchiu7: Probably nothing to do with that but the fact with prepaid there is no contract with Telecom so they need to be able to keep track of your usage internationally in real time and cut you off when your balance is empty. But with on account phones, you have signed a contract so they don't need to track your usage in real time and can bill you in arrears..

Not true... since postpaid are for the most part real time rated too.. That's how the Roaming Smartcaps works so you don't blow out your bill. It's all around what Telecom deem to be fair use. Say you have a 2GB plan in NZ... Would you then expect to torrent 10GB while roaming overseas?

I stand corrected here about the real time usage but the point I really wanted to make was, Telecom has no way to get money from you if you are pre-paid since you don't have to identify yourself to them. For post paid customers, if you somehow manage to rack up some big bills (though it's hard now with $6/day for data) they can come after you.

On Prepay you just run out of money..

Regards,

Old3eyes

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#732300 13-Dec-2012 22:35

It is good to hear but those inclined, picking up a simcard at the airport isn't that hard just hand them the phone and ensure it works before you walk out. It does save the hassle to work thru diff suppliers but any local supplier is better than roaming. I also had issues that my NZ phone didn't work in Kuala Lumpur but it did in Bangkok and Singapore.

It's still only for postpaid customers with a fair use policy. Local simcards may have a much more relaxed policy than NZ or that maybe they give customers a lot more data (without such policy) and unlike NZ they are used much larger caps.

Hong Kong local simcards (prepay) for example some are under $1.50NZ per hour or under $3.50NZ per day. That is Smartone and Three networks respectively.

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#732313 13-Dec-2012 22:56

rayonline: It is good to hear but those inclined, picking up a simcard at the airport isn't that hard...

Yes, it's hard. In the USA you might be lucky to find a store selling SIM cards at airports - certainly not in LAX, SFO or LAS. Actually in Las Vegas the AT&T store is about five kms out of the strip. I know because I've been there twice in the last couple of years.

The closest AT&T store to the SFO airport is in a mall strip in a small village one train stop away - you need at least one hour to catch the train, get off at the first station, go to the store and back to the airport.

This is not the kind of thing you do when changing planes...

In Sydney they have some Virgin Mobile SIM cards at newsstands but the person behind the desk knows nothing about how to configure, what plans, etc. You actually have to buy the SIM, register an account online, configure the plan you want then charge it.

It is not easy if you don't have the time or technical inclination.

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#732343 14-Dec-2012 00:08

There are also ID requirements in many countries that make it not as simple as picking up a 2degrees sim at a servo etc is here.

Richard rich.ms

rayonline

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#732374 14-Dec-2012 08:54

The USA? ... Wow ..

RE: the ID comes with the territory. NZ doesn't have NZ ID cards. Some places require tourists to carry passports on them at all times.

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#732376 14-Dec-2012 09:00

rayonline: The USA? ... Wow ..

Please explains this comment. I don't know what it means in the context of my reply.

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#732384 14-Dec-2012 09:13

NZ is one of the few places in the world where ID isn't required to buy a prepay SIM, and it still really surprises me that this is still the case.

In Australia for example you even require 100 points of ID to buy and register a SIM. The points system is a national ID system where different ID's have different points values, but 100 points requires multiple forms of ID.

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#734655 19-Dec-2012 00:12

freitasm:
rayonline: The USA? ... Wow ..

Please explains this comment. I don't know what it means in the context of my reply.

Many of the countries I have visited they have the simcard providers like car rental shops. I expected USA to be like them. Show the passport, sign some papers, pay some money and they give you a simcard. Not very welcoming for tourists or those business travelers who might want to rent phones.

But again for the tourists you may not get it instant (in the USA for eg) but if one travels to the hotels, ask the concergige (sp) they could just pick any local simcard, as they should carry their passports .... While many but I guess the most of all tourists don't use simcards gps on holiday anyway. Most are still making their way to info centers and picking up pamphets and maps.

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#734694 19-Dec-2012 08:09

rayonline:
freitasm:
rayonline: The USA? ... Wow ..

Please explains this comment. I don't know what it means in the context of my reply.

Many of the countries I have visited they have the simcard providers like car rental shops. I expected USA to be like them. Show the passport, sign some papers, pay some money and they give you a simcard. Not very welcoming for tourists or those business travelers who might want to rent phones.

But again for the tourists you may not get it instant (in the USA for eg) but if one travels to the hotels, ask the concergige (sp) they could just pick any local simcard, as they should carry their passports .... While many but I guess the most of all tourists don't use simcards gps on holiday anyway. Most are still making their way to info centers and picking up pamphets and maps.

It is like that in the USA.

You wrote "It is good to hear but those inclined, picking up a simcard at the airport isn't that hard... " and what I said (and you ignored) is that there isn't many mobile shops in airports.

If you land in SFO or LAX from Auckland you won't be able to get a SIM card at the airport because there aren't at shops there selling SIM cards.

If you land in SFO and want an AT&T SIM then you can get on the train, get off on the first station, walk to the mall, get a SIM card (doing exactly what you describe here - show id, get SIM, pay), but this will be at least one hour if you don't miss the train. Hardly something a traveler in transit can bother with.

Once you are at your destination then you can go and find a mobile operator's shop and buy the SIM.

My point is that it's not just "picking up a simcard (sic) at the airport" as you think it is.

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