TelstraClear and Telecom prepare landmark hookup:
Telstraclear and Telecom are preparing to sign a landmark deal on Monday that will see TelstraClear sell Telecom's mobile services under its own name and at its own pricing, creating a seismic shift in the $2.5 billion mobile market.
Vodafone will offer "free broadband" for its mobile customers, with strings attached, in an apparent bid to steal TelstraClear's thunder.
TelstraClear previously provided a mobile service through a more restrictive resale arrangement with Vodafone, which seems to be the big loser from TelstraClear's new allegiance.
TelstraClear will be able to control the look and feel of the service and add its own features. Vodafone had tried to sign a new resale deal with TelstraClear, which broke off negotiations because of thin margins, sources say.
TelstraClear and Telecom declined comment. But TelstraClear spokesman Mathew Bolland said he had heard that Vodafone would make an announcement.
You can read more about the "Vodafone free broadband plan" in my blog.
I wonder if this is what Tom Pullar-Strecker and a certain Telecom New Zealand employee were talking about while enjoying an ice cream this week in Wellington's Courtenay Place ;-)...