I retired from personal blogging in July 2008.
But you can find me over at http://blog.xero.com.
Wow! The NZ Telecoms landscape just changed again. Here is the release …
Vodafone And Ihug Writing New History
Press Release by Paul Budde Communications at 8:14 pm, 09 Oct 2006
This is a very significant development as it clearly goes beyond the strategy Vodafone has pursued so far; which is to built partnership with fixed based operators in order to get a better foothold in the market.
It vindicates a position we have held for many years that mobile only infrastructure doesn’t make sense. If you are an infrastructure operator you need to be able to make the choice about what would be the best possible infrastructure you can use for certain services and applications.
By being a mobile operator only you limit yourself to only be able to deliver those services and applications in one particular format.
What of course has helped the situation is that new 4G technologies, which are around the corner, are going to see a seamless operation between various infrastructure platforms. Depending on where the user is and what access device the user is using at that time a service or applications will be delivered in the most appropriate format for that purpose.
The future of fixed and mobile is both in broadband so it make sense that the company moves into that direction. Ihug is clear leader in that field and has proven to be able to come up with innovative offerings, I think that in this respect the two companies will also culturally have a good fit.
What exactly the future will look for the combined companies will depend on future developments and the innovations the two companies can come up with. It certainly is still very much a blank sheet of paper and through this innovative cooperation this unique combination could also start writing some new telco history here. I am sure that all eyes of the larger Vodafone organisation will be on New Zealand to follow what the outcome of the merger will be.
Well that is certainly interesting.
blog
[...] Telco analyst Paul Budde’s views/press release can be found on Rod Drury’s blog. [...]
Bit of scoopy-bragging…
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/0C5E6164AEF27897CC2571B10004B85A
“Computerworld understands that one likely suitor for ihug is Vodafone. The global mobile telephony giant has embarked on a strategy worldwide that entails buying up ISPs to shore up falling cellular revenues through broadband resale. Vodafone has made enquiries with several New Zealand ISPs about buying them, according to industry sources. ”
Not sure if Budde’s right about the 4G stuff though. It’s more, I think, what I saw demonstrated at the recent Intel Developer Forum in SFO recently: devices with multiple radios that allow customers to roam between any wireless network, from cellular to Wifi to 802.16e. Means there’ll be no more network-specific lock-in of customers.