A vague update from 2degrees

In press release this morning (below) 2degrees said data usage on it network on Christmas day was up 200% over last year.

A spokeswoman later told NBR that for 2012, data usage was up 300%.

That's good. Probably. Up 300% from what?

Anyone's guess.

The company's not attaching any hard numbers to its percentage figures*. Or giving any update on customer numbers at the point. The joys of being privately held.

The release also says 2degrees has "sold tens of thousands of high-quality smartphones on Pay Monthly plans in 2012, such as the Samsung Galaxy S3." 

That gels with the company's claim in August last year that it had hit 100,000 contract customers (and 1 million total).

Judging by the latest (sliding) customer numbers from Vodafone and Telecom, 2degrees is obviously doing pretty well. But just well? We'll have to wait for its next official customer number update, or financial filing.

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* Vodafone recently said data usage on its network had doubled over the past 12 months. The carrier says since 2008 (when the first iPhone was released in NZ), total traffic on its network has jumped from 5 terabytes (5120 gigabytes) a month to 220 terabytes (225,280 gigabytes) a month.

RAW DATA: 2degrees statement

04 February 2013

Record-breaking demand from customers for all things mobile has seen 2degrees hit a number of major network milestones.

New Zealanders’ love affair with new generation smartphones and tablets has seen data usage on the 2degrees network almost triple in the last year. Last month alone (January 2013), customers used the most data ever recorded on the 2degrees network in one day.

The holiday period also saw 2degrees customers smash all previous usage records with an 81% increase in national voice and a 74% increase in international voice minutes on Christmas Day. Data usage also soared by a record 200% on last year.

2degrees customers are also sending more than double the amount of texts they were two years ago.

2degrees Chief Marketing Officer Malcolm Phillipps says 2degrees research shows that 85% of customers with smartphones are regularly watching videos, social networking and researching products and services and 73%* admit they never leave home without their smartphone.

“This is unprecedented growth and clearly shows that we’re not only using mobile to communicate in more ways, but also more than ever before,” says Mr Phillipps.

“The usage patterns of our million-plus customer base has provided us with valuable insight and is the motivation behind today’s launch of a range of new 2degrees consumer and business plans.

Our new plans have more voice, text and data and all share two unique 2degrees benefits – all Pay Monthly customers get to keep any unused minutes at the end of each month and also get to use their data across all of their devices.”

Mr Phillipps says the new plans, which are only available on 2degrees, also make things simpler and provide more value than ever before.

“There has never been a better time to own a smartphone,” he says.

“Having sold tens of thousands of high-quality smartphones on Pay Monthly plans in 2012, such as the Samsung Galaxy S3, we know that our customers have an insatiable demand for voice, text and data and now have a choice of price points they can afford.”                                                         

Looking ahead, Mr Phillipps expects further growth this year as more Kiwis realise the benefits of mobile.

“We’re expecting smartphone sales penetration to reach 60%  this year and usage growth to continue  – particularly in regards to data - as customers find more ways to use mobile devices in their everyday work and personal lives.”