Cheap data for travellers with Telecom NZ

In order to keep mobile data costs down to a more reasonable level while I was holidaying in New Zealand, a kind and local chap recommended the Telecom NZ XT network as offering the best value. A quick trip down Queen Street allowed me to buy a NZ$30 SIM (including $15 of call credit) and a $20 top-up voucher. This, along with a $10 bonus for registering online, gave me a total of $45 calling credit. For NZ$30 you can buy a 30-day 500MB "data extras" pack, ideal for my blogging and Twittering needs.

However, the staff in the Telecom NZ shop were very pessimistic that my phone would be up to the job. Despite their compatibility checker (based on IMEI number) saying everything would be OK, they related stories of non-Telecom phones working for three days before packing up. My phone worked fine in the store with a test SIM so I felt sure all would be OK.

Everything was indeed fine until the following morning. From Browns Bay we headed north past Wellsford and I noticed my phone was apparently detecting a 3G network but I had no network name or indeed any signal strength. This remained the same all the way up to Paihia. It seemed Telecom's prediction had come true - no service for me.

My main UK mobile is a Nokia E71, specifically the E71-1 variant. Looking up the specs online reveals this version has WCDMA900/2100 capabilities, suitable for the UK market. I now know the XT network operates primarily on WCDMA850 with WCDMA2100 only "in some metro areas". Sure enough, on returning to my Auckland base the phone once again sprang into life.

All-in-all WCDMA2100 coverage seemed to be present only in a few built up areas (for me; Auckland city centre, Browns Bay, Queenstown - nothing in Whangerai for example). It seems this frequency is implemented alongside the ubiquitous XT standard WCDMA850 to provide extra calling capacity in busy locations.

To receive anything approaching the claimed coverage you really need to have a WCDMA850 capable device. The Nokia E71-2 (WCDMA850/1900) or, even better, the E71-3 (WCDMA850/2100) phones for example would be ideal.

So, there is no mystery (surprise!) and phones do not drop off the network after a few days, but it is very possible you will move out of range of a suitable network for your device. If you have the right equipment, all will be fine. Happy surfing!