100,000 move their mobile number to 2degrees

AUCKLAND, September 2, 2010

100,000 New Zealanders have moved their mobile number to 2degrees

Mobile phone users are embracing number portability, with record numbers now taking their phone number with them when they switch mobile networks.

On Saturday 28 August at 12.52pm a mobile user ported their Telecom 027 number to 2degrees, and in the course of doing so became the 100,000th customer to port their mobile number to New Zealand’s newest mobile network.

According to 2degrees Chief Marketing Officer, Larrie Moore, mobile users are now realising that they’re not tied to one network for fear of losing their number and their contacts.

“Each week we see a steady number of customers bringing their mobile number with them when they join 2degrees.

“Consumers have seen our advertisements which tell them they can keep their whole number with 2degrees—even the 021 or 027 bit. That’s certainly been a contributor to the boom in porting, but we also believe there’s a groundswell of consumers looking for better value and finding that with 2degrees,” says Larrie.

In the year since 2degrees’ launch, number porting figures in New Zealand have more than trebled over the previous year. From August 2009 to July 2010, a total of 155,651 consumers ported their mobile number, with 64 per cent of those moving their number to 2degrees. Of those ports, around 80 per cent were customers bringing their Vodafone number to 2degrees.

With the increase in people porting their number from one mobile network to another, 2degrees maintains that it makes other mobile networks practice of ‘on-network’ pricing offers increasingly untenable.

“A mobile phone number is no longer an indication of which mobile network you belong to. The move to any network pricing removes the worry consumers have about who they can call and for what price,” says Larrie.

What is number portability?

Number portability, which was introduced in New Zealand on 1 April 2007, allows consumers to take residential or business phone, fax and mobile numbers with them when switching between providers.

Number portability gives New Zealanders the ability to choose a telecommunications provider that best meets their needs, without having to worry about the cost and hassle of having to change their number.

Official number porting figures are managed by the Telecommunications Carriers Forum (TCF).

How do you port your mobile number?

Transferring your mobile number from another network to 2degrees can be done easily online. Customers just need to fill out a simple form on the 2degrees’ website, and 2degrees does the rest. The entire process usually takes less than three hours to complete.

Information regarding the number porting process is available online at: www.2degreesmobile.co.nz/transfer-details.                                                            

ENDS

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