Drop the Rate, Mate

"Kiwis are being ripped off when they use their mobile phones. Everyone knows it."

Finally, there are signs that New Zealanders have had enough of the two big monopoly mobile phone companies that dominate our market. A new campaign "Drop the Rate, Mate" has started to urge Telecom and Vodafone to drop their termination rates, which can be up to 15 cents per minute. In response to this, the mobile phone companies have actually threatened to raise their rates.

Wow. Big kahunas on these guys, eh? They must think they've got a total lock on the market. No fear at all - and no choice for the people to go anywhere else. Historically, these companies reap huge profits out of NZ, completely out of proportion with their other markets in terms of pure profit. The lame excuse for ripping people off is that classic refrain: "New Zealand is a small country." I may be wrong, but I think even Kiwis are finding that statement a bit tiresome these days, particularly when coming from phone companies using it as a convenient slogan.

I say if they choose to give us the middle finger and raise their rates further, New Zealanders should simultaneously stop using their mobile phones. Gasp! What will be do if we don't have our mobile phones for a little while? Will we survive? Don't worry. It wouldn't be for too long. A month or so of no income from their cash cow, and these companies might stop regarding Kiwis as pushovers. And besides, it might just be a good opportunity to try out one of the fresh, new competitors that the BIG TWO have been trying to keep out of the country....