The number of kiwis using the Telecom mobile network has dropped by 65,000, although the majority of these are 'occasional-use' connections on the old CDMA network, and the attrition isn't hurting revenue, the company says.
Reporting its half-yearly results today, Telecom says in a statement that a total of 92,000 people have dropped from its prepaid customer base, although 27,000 new customers have signed up to its higher-value post-paid service.
Telecom CEO Paul Reynolds says the increase in post-paid customers was driven by sales of Android devices as well as the iPhone, which Telecom started selling for the first time in October with the launch of the iPhone 4S.
That wasn't the only first for the period, with Telecom also launching its youth-oriented sub-brand, Skinny.
Reynolds says 639,000 customers remain on CDMA, but they represent just 11% of mobile revenues. The CDMA network is due to be shut down in July this year.
"We continue to bring a wide range of offers to the market for transferring CDMA customers," Reynolds says.
Check back soon for more on the Telecom result.
Update: Telecom CEO Paul Reynolds has refused to be drawn on how the Skinny mobile brand has fared since its launch in early January.
"We'll have some meaningful numbers by the next half," Reynolds says.
"We know we've already made a strong brand impact on the youth market, as we intended to do."
