Two Degrees will launch in August as our third mobile operator without any of its own stores. Instead it will sell its cellphones, plans and SIM cards through partners including petrol stations and supermarkets will let it leverage off “prepay customer behaviour created by Telecom and Vodafone”.

Certainly, there won't be many condusive environments for sitting down and signing a contract.

The Commerce Commission has announced its second major telco inquiry of the day, and it again hinges on an issue that could weigh heavily on the fate of third mobile network operator Two Degrees, whose customers will roam (invisibly, to them) on Vodafone’s network when outside Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

If Steven Joyce accepts the Commerce Commission’s proposal to regulate mobile termination rates, our two biggest carriers could take a hit.

In its preliminary finding on mobile termination, the Commerce Commission does not grant Two Degrees’ wish to eliminate charges on calls that cross between rival networks, but does propose regulating - and halving - Telecom and Vodafone's current commercial rates.

However, the final decision lies with communications and IT minister Steven Joyce.

Two Degrees has warned that some office phone systems and contact database software will not permit their users to dial numbers using its 022 prefix.

Under number portability regulations, customers switching to Two Degrees will have the option to adopt one of the third mobile operator's 022 numbers, or bring their 021 number from Vodafone, or their 027 number from Telecom.

Responding to unusually pointed Commerce Commission criticism, the third mobile operator says it has been hurt by co-location delays more than anyone – and that it can still hit its target for installing its own gear on Telecom, Vodafone and Woosh towers at 40% of its cell sites.