Vodafone NZ for sale

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#2234836 11-May-2019 09:28

Does anyone know if Vodafone are actually trying to merge the ex TCL billing platform? At this point you wonder if they'd just leave it until they retire HFC in 5-10 years time

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#2234839 11-May-2019 09:31

nickb800: Does anyone know if Vodafone are actually trying to merge the ex TCL billing platform? At this point you wonder if they'd just leave it until they retire HFC in 5-10 years time

Yes customers are slowly been migrated to a brand new single billing platform now over the next 18 months

MadEngineer

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#2234861 11-May-2019 10:20

Nah Vodafone won’t be sold. I mean someone will make an offer but Vodafone won’t return the call.

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#2234863 11-May-2019 10:22

MadEngineer: Nah Vodafone won’t be sold. I mean someone will make an offer but Vodafone won’t return the call.

Lol, probably won’t even get through to make the offer, get fed up waiting on hold or don’t speak the language of the customer service agent answering the call...

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#2234907 11-May-2019 10:32

nickb800: Does anyone know if Vodafone are actually trying to merge the ex TCL billing platform? At this point you wonder if they'd just leave it until they retire HFC in 5-10 years time

Not a merger and not technically a migration.

NEW packages are available that incorporate products on cable network, which you get switched to. The cost of this is handled differently in terms of internal budgets, the project to build new products can be capitalised and depreciated... whole raft of things that benefit voda's accounting treatment.

The flipside is as the customer there are some changes:

- TCL TV products don't come along. If you have a t-box... nope. It's vodafone TV for you.

- >1 landline number is also apparently too much to handle, so it's 1 or none. Landline voice is via the ATA port from the back of the Voda homehub... which is a good way to get off their old POTS equipment, a lot of which is 25 years old

- > Dont know about voice features like CLI

-> billing platform becomes voda's one for internet, including usage metering etc. Never used it so don't know what it's like...

________

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#2235568 12-May-2019 19:34

Pornolio:

I worked for roughly 4 years in the engineering teams there at VF, so I was very much on the ground working on all the CRM / Provisioning systems and consumer email / hosting platforms.

A lot of their problems started with the acquisition of the Telstra clear customer base / infrastructure. Very little was actually consolidated, merged and cleaned up. Thus the result was a combination of three billing systems, and very messy platforms to support. Some of the Sun equipment was limping on its last leg, and we ended up sourcing spare parts on Ebay with our managers credit card details... yes it was that bad. Then there was the massive drive to outsource as much as possible to cheaper offshore resources. I was affected by the staff cuts and I was literally expected to train the people I had to hand my job over to. It became clearly evident that you cant train someone with no Linux / Unix knowledge how to run a multitude of complex Unix and Linux clustered servers. This resulted in me being hired by the offshore partner, to spend MORE time training their engineers. I got out not long after that, but since then I could clearly see all the hosting divisions, mail platforms, and ISP divisions of the business being retired.

I have worked @ many ISP's over the years, loads of experience on hosting / mail platforms, and I will honestly say, I have never, ever, ever, seen a company managed in such a way, where you had key decision makers with absolutely no knowledge on the products or services they sold... I feel sorry for the new CEO (Jason Paris), he got handed over other peoples mess to sort out. This is an extremely tough situation to be in.

I was always surprised at the low profit for such a large amount of revenue - and this is someone coming from the fast food industry where the profit margins are razor thin. I'm not surprised about the lack of consolidation - when the focus is quarter to quarter rather than long term cost saving then it shouldn't be surprising then add the overlay of managers who lack the most basic technical understanding results in a complete lack of vision and leadership from the top down.

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nickb800: Does anyone know if Vodafone are actually trying to merge the ex TCL billing platform? At this point you wonder if they'd just leave it until they retire HFC in 5-10 years time

Yes customers are slowly been migrated to a brand new single billing platform now over the next 18 months

So will that mean new customers will be on that new billing platform? will also be part of the work be a single unified portal for customers?

"When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called 'the People's Stick'"

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#2235686 12-May-2019 22:54

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/112655320/vodafone-nz-needs-buyer-with-a-head-for-complexity

Salami

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#2235980 13-May-2019 13:41

Pornolio:

I worked for roughly 4 years in the engineering teams there at VF, so I was very much on the ground working on all the CRM / Provisioning systems and consumer email / hosting platforms.

A lot of their problems started with the acquisition of the Telstra clear customer base / infrastructure. Very little was actually consolidated, merged and cleaned up. Thus the result was a combination of three billing systems, and very messy platforms to support. Some of the Sun equipment was limping on its last leg, and we ended up sourcing spare parts on Ebay with our managers credit card details... yes it was that bad. Then there was the massive drive to outsource as much as possible to cheaper offshore resources. I was affected by the staff cuts and I was literally expected to train the people I had to hand my job over to. It became clearly evident that you cant train someone with no Linux / Unix knowledge how to run a multitude of complex Unix and Linux clustered servers. This resulted in me being hired by the offshore partner, to spend MORE time training their engineers. I got out not long after that, but since then I could clearly see all the hosting divisions, mail platforms, and ISP divisions of the business being retired.

I have worked @ many ISP's over the years, loads of experience on hosting / mail platforms, and I will honestly say, I have never, ever, ever, seen a company managed in such a way, where you had key decision makers with absolutely no knowledge on the products or services they sold... I feel sorry for the new CEO (Jason Paris), he got handed over other peoples mess to sort out. This is an extremely tough situation to be in.

I'm with you on this one. My friend was with Telstraclear and then Vodafone after they got taken over. I must say it was very messy.

He wasn't happy how the company was run when they were merged with Vodafone.

Both Telstraclear and Vodafone staff became unhappy , Staff loss their morale etc..

There were a lot of decisions made badly within Vodafone Management. I hope Jason Paris try improve things and do things differently to Russell Stanners.

Telstraclear/Vodafone would've been a great company if it looked after its staff more.

Lots of talents has left Vodafone and gone to other providers. It's sad what was once a great company to work has turned out to this.

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#2236160 13-May-2019 17:25

Looks like this could be close to being finalised, you don't resign if you are an unsuccessful bidder.....

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/112677253/spark-director-resigns-over-potential-vodafone-conflict

"Spark director Alison Gerry has resigned from the company's board in the wake of the revelation last week that infrastructure company Infratil was in talks to acquire rival Vodafone NZ.

Gerry is also a director of Infratil, and Spark chairwoman Justine Smyth said Gerry was concerned that created "a potential or perceived conflict of interest".

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#2236161 13-May-2019 17:32

I would say you are correct

quickymart

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#2236163 13-May-2019 17:37

Missed the comment on the cable network being retired in 5-10 years time - where has that been announced?

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#2236166 13-May-2019 17:41

quickymart: Missed the comment on the cable network being retired in 5-10 years time - where has that been announced?

Ditto no news about this from cablelabs.

https://www.lightreading.com/cable/docsis/docsis-31-still-rules-the-cable-roost/d/d-id/751274?

quickymart

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#2236227 13-May-2019 18:28

Infratil may not be the only party interested (note I can't read after the first 100 words thanks to someone's new paywall):

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12230263

nickb800

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#2236253 13-May-2019 19:52

quickymart: Missed the comment on the cable network being retired in 5-10 years time - where has that been announced?

Hasn't been announced - that was my inference given competition from UFB and time to recoup the investment in gigabit/DOCSIS3.1

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#2236302 13-May-2019 21:19

quickymart: Missed the comment on the cable network being retired in 5-10 years time - where has that been announced?

IMHO that is very unlikely to happen.

Rumour has it they were going to do that a few years ago, then somebody pointed out that their resource consents require them to pull down all the cable & associated gear, and make good any and all damage and environmental degradation resulting. That would cost a gazillion dollars of money effectively just being thrown away.
Sooooo ... nek minit they upgrade to DOCIS3.1 and roll out all associated infrastructure improvements.

The cost of walking away was just too high.

Edit: typo

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