Vodafone New Zealand Media release: 30 June 2008

With new local zone from Vodafone, your Vodafone mobile does two jobs, working as both your mobile and your landline.

Once you’ve set up your zone, your mobile becomes your landline when you enter your local zone, and when you leave it becomes your mobile again.

For the first time ever, New Zealanders can have all their calls – whether they’re made to a mobile or landline number – on one phone. No more juggling multiple phone bills, no more missing important calls to your landline, just because you’re out and about.

Local zone is a massive advance for small business owners in particular, allowing them to add a landline to their business for less than half the price of a fixed landline . It also means both businesses and consumers alike can keep their existing geographic landline number so their customers, or their Mum, can call without worrying about cost, yet they have added simplicity and mobility.

“Local zone is the most innovative mobile and landline solution on the market,” says Vodafone New Zealand’s General Manager of Products and Services, Kursten Shalfoon. “We’ve known that our customers have been frustrated by the expense of landlines, and have felt the need to maintain a landline number because of the perception of ‘free’ local calling. Local zone removes the cost barrier by allowing our customers to add a geographic number and landline calling to their existing mobile account from only $20 a month.”

“Given the current economic climate, I’m sure our customers will be delighted to save up to 52%* a month, and not have to manage multiple telecommunications bills.”

Local zone is easy to set up and use. Once set up, the mobile registers which zone the customer is in and uses landline calling rates when in zone, and mobile calling rates when mobile.

*Based on Telecom’s Anytime plan of $42.40 a month

  • Local zone is an add-on to You Choose. Customers must be on a You Choose mobile plan to take up local zone, and must have a compatible 3G mobile.
  • Local zone – local is $20 a month for unlimited local calls. National calling is 20c a minute and at $2.50 for two hours
  • Local zone – national is $40 a month for unlimited local and national calling
  • All calls to the landline number when out of zone are diverted to mobile voicemail as standard
  • Calls to the landline number can be diverted to ring on the mobile when out of zone with the follow you diversion for $30 a month
  • Local zone customers can take up a $9.95 per month discount on 1GB and 3GB 3G broadband plans
  • Local zone uses cellsite positioning to determine which zone the customer is in. The technology was developed by Seeker Wireless and is a SIM-based application