Vodafone,Telecom planning cellphone internet for the back of beyond

Vodafone and Telecom are investigating using their mobile phone data networks to service rural internet subscribers.

Such services would provide speeds similar to dial-up services in cities, rather than high-speed access.

The connection can be supplied through PC card modems, external modems or by a wire connection to a cellphone. The key to keeping the price down will be packaging the service with internet providers.

Telecom spokeswoman Linda Sanders said the company had been trying its CDMA network as a potential replacement for the multi-access radio systems used in remote areas such as the Marlborough Sounds.

She said CDMA looked a good option for a small number of customers who did not need broadband speeds but were looking for an alternative to fixed-line offerings.

Sanders said Telecom would charge by use rather than time.

Vodafone spokesman Raphael Hilbron said Vodafone's GPRS network covered 97 per cent of the population. In rural areas "it is much faster than the current access available through fixed lines".