Mobile telephone coverage is effectively national in near urban areas although the mountainous terrain means that outside the urban areas, and especially away from the main highway system, coverage does have dead patches. Do not rely on mobile phones in hilly or mountainous terrain. Mobile telephone users can call *555 only to report Non-emergency traffic safety incidents, such as a breakdown, road hazard or non-injury car crash, to the Police.
There are currently three major mobile carriers in New Zealand.
Telecom operates a UMTS (3G) network, named XT Network, nationwide on 850MHz with supplementary 2100MHz in metropolitan areas. (the same frequencies as Telstra in Australia and AT&T in the U.S.)
Vodafone operates a GSM network on 900MHz/2100 MHz and a UTMS (3G) network operates nationwide 900MHz with supplementary 2100MHz coverage.
2degrees operates a UMTS (3G) network (2100MHz) in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, with supplementary GSM coverage provided elsewhere by Vodafone.
Airports and shopping malls will have stores from Telecom and Vodafone available for purchasing access and getting information about their networks. A prepaid sim-card connection pack with $10 credit from Telecom or Vodafone costs around $30, and prepaid sim-cards from 2degrees cost $5. Telecom has broader coverage in remote areas away from major cities compared to Vodafone and 2degrees.
In regards to purchasing and using local mobile Internet broadband such as a USB mobile broadband card for a laptop or a micro-sim for an Apple iPad, Telecom seems to have the best data coverage in New Zealand outside of Auckland itself (where Telecom and Vodafone appear to be roughly equal). Telecom's mobile coverage and data network availability may even be the only option in certain areas such as Hawke's Bay, the southern part of the North Island and the South Island where Vodafone coverage can be spotty.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about New Zealand
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in New Zealand - updated Apr 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount New Zealand hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
New Zealand Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
