New Zealand- Best mobile phone service?

[Early Riser]

I'll be spending a couple of months shooting in NZ and I was looking into getting a SIM card to use with my Motorola GSM phone. Who is the best network in NZ? Also any advice would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[PhotoJim]

I don't know New Zealand providers, but this site will help you: http://www.prepaidgsm.net . The forums are quite useful too.

I use a UnitedMobile+ SIM which permits free incoming calls in about 80 countries in the world. The outgoing rates are about 40 cents a minute in New Zealand. (Unfortunately the inbound and outbound rates in North America are obnoxious, but I use Rogers in Canada and T-Mobile in the US.)

SIMs are my other weakness. I have mobile numbers in the UK, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the US and Canada.

 

[Matthew Gorringe]

You lucky dog Brian.
When we were there we found that Vodafone coverage on the South Island was very good.

 

[Sean]

I'd grab a vodafone pre-pay sim card. That's what I use and have been happy with it..

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or the whole package:

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If you want to get a used phone: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Mobile-phones/index.htm

 

[Early Riser]

Thanks guys. I'm leaning towards vodafone, it seems they have the better GSM network in NZ.

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

Vodafone have excellent coverage everywhere in the world. The only place I can't use it is outback South Australia.

 

[ChrisC]

If you're planning on using your existing phone on a NZ network with a NZ-based SIM you're pretty much limited to only Vodafone.

There's only two main mobile companies here, Vodafone and Telecom (smaller ones exist, but they're part of either and the same pricing plans generally). Telecom phones are CDMA meaning they don't use SIMs. One of the many reasons why I'm with Vodafone.

Telecom does have better coverage outside of the main areas, but it's only marginal, and really only a factor if you absolutly need to be in contact with the outside world all the time. All cities and the majority of small towns have Vodafone coverage.

You'd be fine with a Vodafone pre-pay pack, and I believe there's a place you can pick one up at at the Auckland Int. Airport arrivals area.

 

[P C Headland]

As ChrisC says, you have a choice of one at the moment - Vodafone.

A prepay pack is all you need, and they have various call price packages. Jump on the website to work out which one is best for you - most include some reasonable rates for international calls to the US, Oz and Europe.

Do check that your Motorola supports the frequencies in use here.

 

[crispinuk]

Useful link #378

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(info on just about every GSM network in the world)

and more specific to this thread:
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