WELLINGTON: Phone companies are being accused of “cartel-like behaviour” after Vodafone and CallPlus joined Spark in confirming price rises of about $4 a month.
InternetNZ spokesman David Cormack clarified the non-profit society had no evidence that any of the companies had engaged in collusion or price-fixing “other than the fact they are all putting up their prices together”.
The price increases will affect most households that have fixed-line phone or broadband and followed a draft ruling from the Commerce Commission in December, raising the wholesale price Chorus is likely to be able to charge for access to its copper lines by $4.70 a month.
However, Vodafone said yesterday that its price rises were “not specific to the changes with Chorus” but rather “an overall Vodafone view of the industry and where we need to be”.
InternetNZ chief executive Jordan Carter said he was not certain the price rises were necessary and the situation was “akin to the petrol industry”.
Comments that New Zealand is unlikely to see internet as cheap as it was before Christmas ever again seem to show an almost cartel-like behaviour. One goes and they all see it as an excuse to take a bit more money from the wallets of Kiwis.”
