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Thread ID: 74042	2006-11-09 07:00:00	Voda to offer free local dialling and cheaper than Telcon	Nomad (952)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
497730	2006-11-09 07:00:00	www.stuff.co.nz Vodafone will kick off its assault on Telecom's $2 billion fixed-line voice market in April when it will enable free local calls by plugging home phones into a "little black box" that will route calls over its mobile network. It will follow this up by the end of June with a service that will do away with the need for special hardware. Customers who sign up to a local calling plan will then be able to make and receive free local calls from their Vodafone mobile phone, so long as they were near their home. The company is timing the launch of the first offering, modelled on the ZuHause service that Vodafone launched in Germany last year, to coincide with the availability of number portability in April. This will mean customers will be able to switch to Vodafone's network for local calls while retaining their existing home phone number. Pricing for both services has yet to be released, but Vodafone is expected to let customers make and receive local calls for a fixed monthly charge, which is likely to be set below the rental charge for Telecom home phone lines, which it is effectively seeking to replace. The home gateway device will also act as the hub of a wireless network that can hook computers up to the company's mobile data network, removing the need for customers to keep a home phone line for Internet access. Because of the limited carrying capacity of its cellular network Vodafone cannot as yet offer a viable wireless alternative to a fixed-line connection for households that chew through more than 2 gigabytes of Internet traffic a month.	Nomad (952)
497731	2006-11-09 19:38:00	I think we are in for an interesting year and Telecom can kiss there monopoly profits goodbye.	Cicero (40)
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