Customers of Vodafone New Zealand roaming on the sister network in Australia have been unable to make calls or send SMSs to and from their home country for the past week. The company has been blaming congestion on the trans-Tasman telecoms links and denying that it was at fault for the problems.
"There simply isn't any more international capacity. It's just a matter of waiting until the demand calms down again," Vodafone spokesman Paul Brislen told the New Zealand Herald. Some reports though have suggested that the problems have been caused by a decision by Vodafone Australia to minimise the amount of bandwidth it has purchased on the submarine cables - hence the reported congestion.
However, the Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand has condemned the explanation saying that "for Vodafone to describe the collapse of its Trans-Tasman international roaming service as 'totally out of our hands' is unconvincing, unprofessional and unacceptable".
TUANZ Chief Executive Ernie Newman added "For Vodafone New Zealand to distance itself from what appears to be a disastrous mis-forecast of traffic by its Australian sister company just won't do. New Zealand customers are entitled to expect the company to take ownership of their problem and to give it the utmost urgency."
"This must most certainly be resolved before the start of the new business year - business people being out of contact unwittingly can incur a huge cost as a result. With Telecom's roaming service to Australia also in disarray because of its failure to prepare for Telstra's technological upgrade, mobile connectivity for New Zealand business people travelling across the Tasman has suddenly become a major issue for users."
On the web: New Zealand Herald
Posted to the site on 7th January 2008
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/28455.php