Vodafone Reveals iPhone Plans for New Zealand
July 7th, 2008

Vodafone has today revealed that its iPhone plans will begin at NZ$80 per month with a minimal handset subsidy, a price that will shock most potential customers and may cause many to delay their purchases until later in the year when Telecom launches its new iPhone compatible 3G network. The carrier yesterday revealed that customers could purchase from $199 on a twenty four month contract. However, that price only applies to those that are purchasing the 8GB model on the company’s $250 per month contract. The price rises as $699 for the 16GB model on the cheapest plan, though customers are still bound for the same period of time.

Vodafone’s servers have become unresponsive due to high traffic loads (in much the same way the Optus servers did in Australia last week), but we confirm that there are three iPhone plans with the following structure:

Unfortunately, those purchasing the iPhone outright (not on an iPhone specific contract) are still required to sign up to an alternative on account plan (You Choose, talkZone or Corporate) with a compatible mobile broadband plan, confirming Vodafone’s earlier statement that their initial press release was incorrect and the iPhone would not be available to prepaid users. Despite this requirement, those opting for alternative plans will not qualify for a subsidy. Additionally, visual voicemail will not be available to Vodafone customers at launch.

Interestingly, Vodafone has significantly reduced the price of data for prepaid users, but unfortunately the same does not appear to be the case for those on contract. Internationally, carriers such as Rogers in Canada have been attacked by angry customers who claim that their plans are significantly more expensive than in other countries. The same reaction is likely to occur here in New Zealand, given the close proximity to Australia, where Telstra’s iPhone 3G plans start at AU$30 per month with an upfront cost of AU$279 for the 8GB model and AU$399 for the 16GB model. Customers across the ditch will receive the 8GB iPhone 3G model at no cost with the AU$80 plan and either the 8GB or the 16GB model at no cost with plans starting at AU$100 per month. Their plans also include free Wi-Fi access at Telstra hotspots (something not offered here by Vodafone) and require a 24-month contract.

While queues for the midnight launches in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch were expected to be long, Vodafone’s pricing plans will no doubt significantly reduce the length of these lines for the simple reason that many users will be priced out of the market. The alternative for those who do not wish to sign up to one of the above contract plans is to purchase the phone from a parallel importer. However, it is unclear at this stage how long it will be before parallel importers begin to sell the new model.

A Facebook group for those who plan on lining up for the official launch in Auckland can be found here. Additionally, those who want to be near the front of the line in Auckland but are unable to line up more than a few hours before sales begin should check out this auction on Trade Me. University of Auckland student Nic Kerrigan will be lining up 18 hours before sales begin and is auctioning off his place in the line to the highest bidder. At the time of writing, the current bid is NZ$110.00 with nine hours remaining until the auction closes.

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