Cellphone Network Development in NZ

A nice NZ Hearld artivle outlining the history of the NZ Cellphone networks, on the eve of Telecoms new network launch - and Vodafones attempt to block it.


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10569922

Vodafone 3G Broadband Pre Pay

Vodafone NZ have released a 3G broadband data pre pay option, beyond the $1 per day 10MB cap. The new options are:

• $10 for 100MB over a month


• $40 for 512MB over a month

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/shop/plansMobileInternet.jsp?plantype=data&billingMethod=prepay&menuKey=mnit600004

Vodafone Casual Data

Here's an example of an SMS that VFNZ sends re iminent 3G data cap blowout. The new VFNZ casual data daily allowance of 10MB for $1 is certainly a huge step in the right direction - great for email, RSS, & a bit of web surfing - but avoid downloading Youtube videos - as you'll blow your daily cap in one go!



$1 per MB after the daily 10MB limit reached!



Vodafone are advertising their new casual data rate as "Vodafone NOW"

'Unlocking' the iPhone 3G

I've been happily using an iPhone 3g via wifi - everything works great, however when using 3g on the Vodafone NZ network I kept getting 'PDP authentication error' messages and no connection. It turns out that iTunes downloads an APN setting to the iPhone that effectively locks the 'unlocked' iPhone to an iPhone plan only APN! To set the iPhone to use any APN browse (using wifi) to http://unlockit.co.nz and enter the prefered APN (use 'internet' for unrestricted access). Restart the iPhone and you will now find a "profile" setting in the iPhone settings with the new APN. Now you can use the iPhone with any Vodafone data plan - including the brand new casual broadband data rate that works on prepay SIMs ($¹per day for a 10MB per day data cap).

Vodafone 3G Casual Data finally 'affordable'???

Vodafone NZ have just releasd details of new casual broadband data costs:

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/mobile-data/3g-broadband-plans.jsp

$1 a day for a data cap of 10MB for casual data - a HUGE improvement of the previous 1c per KB = $10000/GB!

It's also a change that this casual data 'plan' can be used on PREPAY - you don't have to have a voice plan. At last a 'cheap' data plan for students!!!