XT Fallout at ACC NZ Masters Games

29 January 2010

XT Fallout at ACC NZ Masters Games

“Try running the country’s largest sporting event without cell phone coverage, it’s a joke!” Aaron Joy, Manager of the ACC NZ Masters Games in Dunedin is at his wits end having had no cell phone coverage for the last three days with Telecom’s XT coverage still down in parts of Dunedin.

As 6,000 competitors begin to converge upon Dunedin on the first day of the NZ Masters Games, Aaron Joy is fuming.

“ It’s not a contingency we planned for, you expect that you can rely on Telecom. I am unable to make or receive calls or texts, nobody can get hold of me, frankly communication here is by pigeons. I’ve got to rely on other people to get messages through.

“I’ve missed so many phone calls and people think that I’ll get the message they have left for me but of course I don’t. This morning, Games Ambassador, Sir Colin Meads who is trying to get to Dunedin today had been trying to call me to let me know that he was stranded in Tauranga because of the airport closure in Wellington. Fortunately he gave up and called our 0800 number.”

“Tomorrow the Games really take off. There are more than 71 activities and the only way to contact the coordinators is via cell phone. For us communication is going to mean more manpower, everything will be far more labour intensive. If this goes on any longer we will have to seriously consider another provider.”

It won’t just be Games Management affected if the lack of coverage continues. 3,0000 of the competitors are from out of town so its reasonable to expect that many of them will have no coverage as well.

ACC NZ MASTERS GAMES 2010

Dunedin

January 29 - February 7

www.nzmastersgames.org.nz

ENDS

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