Number portability arrives early

Eyebrows raised as Woosh lands a minor coup

Number portability isn't supposed to be introduced in New Zealand for at least another year, but Woosh customers who want to keep their existing Telecom phone number will be able to do so.

The news that customers could keep their existing phone numbers raised a few eyebrows at the Woosh launch.

Woosh commercial and legal manager Nick Clarke says the negotiations with Telecom were "extensive".

"We didn't tell them our pricing model of course, and they told us they were able to offer a wholesale interconnection deal that was different from their retail services. We said that's fine as we wanted to offer our own retail services anyway."

When Auckland-based fixed wireless network provider Wired Country began offering voice services on its network, via reseller Ihug, customers were forced to change to a new number to take up the service. Many in the industry see this as the last great hurdle customers face before true competition is achieved.