Today has seen leading online comparison company NZ Compare announce the launch of Mobile Compare in response to growing regulatory pressure and increasing consumer demand.
Mobile Compare is a free to use tool developed to help Kiwis make a fully informed choice on their Mobile Phone plan and provider and officially launches to the public on Tuesday 29th November 2022.
Commenting on the launch of the new website, NZ Compare CEO Gavin Male said; "Back in 2021 there was the first open letter from the Commerce Commission to NZ mobile operators stating how The Commission felt that some consumers could make significant savings from changing plans or providers, but it was hard to make meaningful comparisons. The letter laid out expectations designed to increase transparency in the market, giving mobile customers more power to choose wisely. With our expertise in comparison of broadband and power NZ Compare took this as a call to arms to make mobile phone price and plan data more accessible for consumers. As such, we set about developing a tool that would really help the Kiwi consumer make a fully informed choice when it comes to selecting a mobile phone provider, plan and handset."
Male continued; "We expect Mobile Compare to become a key tool in supporting the consumers' right to make informed decisions about their connectivity needs. For too long New Zealanders have accepted the status quo when it comes to their mobile plans because in many cases, they are simply not aware of alternatives. We expect Mobile Compare to do its bit in increasing competition and awareness of all the mobile options that are available to Kiwis. This will help with reducing household costs and the stress that comes with being unable to afford to stay connected and in control of your bills. As is the intention with all of our tools, NZ Compare sites help Kiwis become aware of all the options available to them and once they know the facts, they can easily compare the options."
Speaking further on the launch, GM of NZ Compare, Megan Matthews said; "Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini - translated simply that means, ‘success isn't the work of one but the work of many’ and by having the network providers partner with us in response to the Commerce Commission’s public request, NZ Compare has developed a tool to help empower Kiwis across the country to take control of their bill, at a time where every-day living costs are escalating beyond their control. There is still work to be done and we are reliant on the big networks like Spark, Vodafone and 2degrees, as well as the virtual network operators (MVNOs) like Warehouse Mobile and MyRepublic to continue to engage with us to ensure we can provide accurate and informative information to help support the consumers right to transparency."
With consultation and planning taking place for close to a year, the site has been created with input from all the major NZ mobile networks, in addition to The Commerce Commission and The Telecommunications Forum (TCF). NZ Compare has analysed and considered how each company presents their plans and has standardised information across all the offerings to make a comparison between different products quicker and easier. An example of this is in the presentation of "Endless Data Plans" where the Mobile Compare site highlights the amount of data that is delivered on a plan before a max speed cap takes effect.