Non-stop texting on Telecom mobile

Telecom is offering all-you-can-eat text messaging for $12 over Christmas. Photo / Jimmy Joe

Telecom will offer one-charge unlimited texting on its mobile plans over the holiday season.

The $12-per-month 'Non Stop Text' promotion isn't just restrained to Telecom's networks, covering SMS messages to Vodafone and 2degrees' customers.

But customers will be bound by the company's 'fair use' policy, and the small print says that customers "considerably exceeding historic average text figures will be asked to adjust their texting usage.

The promotion runs until January 31.

Vodafone's on account text add-ons for cross-network messaging start from $5.95 for 100 texts to "any New Zealand mobile".

Telecom is also changing its XT network broadband pricing offering prepaid customers a T-Stick (USB modem), an XT SIM card and half a gigabyte of data for $99. The T-Stick can be topped up like an ordinary pre-paid phone.

On-account users will get double data - 8GB for the price of 4GB on a 24-month plan for $79.95 (a $10 discount applies if users are also Telecom fixed broadband customers).

For just $99, prepaid Mobile Broadband customers receive a T-Stick (MF626), free XT SIM card and 500 Megabytes (MB) of data free for use within the calendar month. This makes for an easy way to try mobile broadband and then control spending, as you top up your T-Stick like you would a prepaid mobile phone.

"We're not taking our foot off the pedal," says Telecom spokesman Paul Hamburger, "and these offers show kiwi customers that we mean business."

He described the plans as "market changing offers".

Telecom also announced two new handsets, Sony Ericsson's 8.1 megapixel camera-toting Aino and the Samsung S6700.

- NZ HERALD STAFF