Talk's cheap in business community

By RICHARD BRADDELL

WELLINGTON - New Zealand is the second cheapest country to make a local business phone call, research by NUS International has found.

The conclusion is based on a translation of per-minute call charges into Australian cents. New Zealand, at 10.3c, is less than half as expensive as Australia - the costliest at 21.5c.

Of the 16 countries surveyed, only Canada is cheaper, because its local business calls are free.

New Zealand's comparative advantage erodes when fixed line charges are taken into account.

On that basis, measured in $US, we top the cost list at $44.30, followed by Canada at $38.88. Australia is less than half the New Zealand rate, at $20. For international calls, we are fifth most expensive.