Surge in phone usage as Kiwis head to Japan for Rugby World Cup

More than 5,500 Kiwis were roaming in the Vodafone New Zealand network in Japan, as the Rugby World Cup tournament continues to heat up.

According to the telco, the amount of users on the network in Japan is an increase of five times the number of people visiting during a usual weekend in Japan.

"We saw a fivefold increase in data usage from Kiwi travellers roaming in Japan over the past month – equating to more than 10 terabytes of data," explains Sharina Nisha, head of platforms.

"There were more than four times the amount of normal mobile call minutes, and nearly six times the amount of SMS sent in the month leading up to 19 October," she says.

"As the tournament ramps up to the finals, we're preparing for even more increases in mobile phone usage as Kiwi travellers in Japan report their experiences back to family and friends at home – or try to stay connected to the office.," says Nisha.

"Vodafone New Zealand on-account customers are able to roam in more than 100 destinations globally for $7 per day. This means they can use their data, minutes and txts as soon as they land in a roaming destination," she explains.

"We've invested several millions in Vodafone network upgrades to prepare for the games, including considerably speeding up investment in this area. As a result, our network will be 17 months ahead of our original plans when the games conclude," Nisha adds.

"Pleasingly we've had no reported network issues during the tournament, so are delighted the Vodafone network has offered solid connectivity for our customers.