2degrees announcements 2011-03-22

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#450686 22-Mar-2011 11:50

mattRSK: $100 million for network expansion.

That's a pretty big announcement. Besides there is a whole thread on Geekzone speculating on how many customers they would have. Thought that would of made some people happy, the fact that they answered your question. Can't please everyone I guess.

They could've just done a press release..

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#450691 22-Mar-2011 12:00

kyhwana2:
mattRSK: $100 million for network expansion.

That's a pretty big announcement. Besides there is a whole thread on Geekzone speculating on how many customers they would have. Thought that would of made some people happy, the fact that they answered your question. Can't please everyone I guess.

They could've just done a press release..

Totally!

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#450713 22-Mar-2011 13:14

ahh... WTF?

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#450714 22-Mar-2011 13:15

Where is the announcement about the new zero rate plans?

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#450739 22-Mar-2011 14:36

It got zero rated.

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kyhwana2

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#450740 22-Mar-2011 14:40

xpd: It got zero rated.

- LOL

They spent the advertising/marketing budget for the zero rated plans on announcing they had so many customers, perhaps.

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#450758 22-Mar-2011 15:03

kyhwana2: Wait, that's it?
Releasing customer numbers doesn't count as a major announcement! Epic Fail 2degree's.

It may be a little boring to you, but it's not an epic fail. An epic fail would be having the entire network fail because someone forgot to pay the power bill.

The biggest fail on this thread is your use of the phrase "epic fail" inappropriately ;)

kyhwana2

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#450803 22-Mar-2011 16:00

timmmay:
kyhwana2: Wait, that's it?
Releasing customer numbers doesn't count as a major announcement! Epic Fail 2degree's.

It may be a little boring to you, but it's not an epic fail. An epic fail would be having the entire network fail because someone forgot to pay the power bill.

The biggest fail on this thread is your use of the phrase "epic fail" inappropriately ;)

Oh, I must've been thinking of XT, then.

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#450817 22-Mar-2011 16:27

All the hype to say they have some customers. Whoop de doo.

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#450825 22-Mar-2011 16:36

I agree with others that I was expecting from the buildup here, that there would be a announcement of something exciting.

But it's good to see 2D going well, I'm on them and they are great.

So, how much more of a network does $100 Million get them? XT cost what 500M(?) nationwide, and 2D are already in the 4 main centers...

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#450826 22-Mar-2011 16:38

exportgoldman:how much more of a network does $100 Million get them? XT cost what 500M(?) nationwide, and 2D are already in the 4 main centers...

Yes but Telecom already had masts up and transmission right around NZ

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#450840 22-Mar-2011 17:29

maknz: All the hype to say they have some customers. Whoop de doo.

I'm back home now (thanks 2degrees). The announcement may look less than the anticipation, but look at the number: after 18 months they have almost 600,000 customers, active in the last 90 days.

Remember back then Telecom and Vodafone had about 50/50 split on a 4 million mobile devices market. 600,000 out of those 2 million on each side is a rather large number.

The $100 million was previously announced, but Eric Hertz direct mention of it was in response to my question about the pace of network expansion. He didn't answer exactly (where, when) but he did say it's in progress and they have the money for it.

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#450842 22-Mar-2011 17:34

Here is the official press release:

2degrees' rapid growth continues – one in eight New Zealanders makes the move

2degrees continues to shake it up in mobile, with 580,112 customers joining in just 19 months.
Chief Executive Eric Hertz announced the company’s customer number at an Auckland event this morning, noting a number of milestones in the past year.

“Lower pricing was just the beginning. Since February last year we’ve opened 10 stores, launched nationwide 3G service and provided monthly plans that don’t lock you into a long term contract,” says Mr Hertz.

“Then we created real handset competition via well-priced, feature-rich smart phones and continued to pleasantly surprise Kiwis with simple plans that offer more for their money,” he says.

“Supported by coverage to 97% of where New Zealanders live and work and 24/7 New Zealand-based customer care, 2degrees has become a full service, full scale option for all New Zealanders.”

Mr Hertz attributes the company’s continued success to listening to customers and delivering on a simple promise.

“We introduced carry-over minutes, long-life mobile broadband and a $149 plan that removes the worry of calling charges, by listening to what people wanted,” he says.

Mr Hertz says one of the most encouraging signs for 2degrees has been the number of customers who’ve brought their number to 2degrees.

“With a quarter of our customers bringing their pre-existing mobile number to our network, it proves just how easy it is to keep your number and get a betterdeal. It’s all online, it’s incredibly simple and it’s fast.”
2degrees’ growth is no surprise to Mr Hertz, who says shareholders are excited by thelong-term growth potential of the business and New Zealand mobile market.

“We’re seeing data demand double every two months as consumers make the most of increasingly sophisticated devices. That demand, and our plans to win even more customers, underpins our recent announcement of a $100 million investment in network capability,” he says.

Mr Hertz says the coming year will be the most exciting year yet for mobile consumers.

“By the end of this year we’ll have opened 40 stores throughout the country and moved into new segments with the kind of innovation and pricing people have come to expect. This would be a good time to avoid signing a contract with our competitors,” he says.

Mr Hertz says 2degrees remains committed to New Zealand based customer care and willpush ahead with plans to expand its Christchurch-based workforce.

2degrees last provided a customer number in February 2010, having gained 206,000 customers after just six months of retail operation.

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#450878 22-Mar-2011 19:33

Well I'm certainly not among those who are disappointed with the announcement - I think this level of growth in the space of one year is extraordinary and opening 40 retail outlets is a very ambitious goal.

I do, however, wonder whether their customer count really is a true customer count, or is it a count of connections? After all 2degrees' billing system doesn't currently appear to be able to handle multiple connections on a single customer account.

It would have been very interesting to hear some details around their geographic targets for future expansion but I understand the commercial sensitivities around it, and I think it's reasonably certain that the next rollout phase will be Hamilton and Tauranga.

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#450882 22-Mar-2011 19:36

freitasm: Here is the official press release:

2degrees' rapid growth continues – one in eight New Zealanders makes the move

(snip)

I think it's fantastic that they spent some money publishing their success and celebrating it with the wider country. Most people in this country don't follow the industry, and quite correctly don't give a monkey's about how it's changing except when it affects them.

As my wife constantly points out, telco is just a utility, like water and electricity... it only matters when it stops.

So good stuff - they are selling, which is rough when you're 3rd in the game, in a country of 4.4m.

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