2degrees and Vocus merger officially complete, set to bring new offerings to NZ telco market

2degrees has today officially announced it has joined forces with Vocus NZ upon the completion of their merger, with promises of new offerings for customers across both business and personal markets.

2degrees CEO Mark Callander announced today at a launch event that the move is set to further challenge and disrupt the telco market and cement the company's position as a known challenger brand.

"I see an incredibly bright future for 2degrees and its customers," he says.

"2degrees is a well-recognised and trusted brand, now offering New Zealanders access to a world-class mobile network, a national fibre network, as well as energy capability. 2degrees is a business that is well-positioned for strong growth into the future.

Callander says today marks the first time that staff from both companies have come together and that there are many similarities between them and common goals they share. He also says they will continue to provide a customer-centric approach and drive further expansion and innovation in the telco sector.

"The combined business has a tremendous amount of infrastructure, and we intend to leverage this to shake up the telco landscape and better serve customers across mobile and fixed services. Today we have brought together two organisations which for decades have disrupted and challenged the New Zealand telco market, lowering the cost of services and driving product innovation through a relentless customer focus.

Some of the key initiatives the company announced they would focus on moving forward are an ongoing 5G widespread network rollout in main centres across New Zealand and the expansion of 2degrees fixed wireless product. Callander also announced the launch of 2degrees' unlimited wireless 5G broadband at an introductory price of NZD$65 a month.

"Unlimited 5G home broadband just makes sense," he says. "With the speeds that 5G offers, people don't want to be constrained by data caps.

There will also be a further focus on the business market, with Callander saying he expects 2degrees to take an even greater share of the market.

"The country's businesses and enterprises will particularly benefit from a highly credible third player focused on value and innovation," he says.

While customers should expect new self-service portals and applications in the short term, Callander says more product and innovation announcements will also be forthcoming.

"Underlying all this is a programme of work to simplify and digitise the business. We have a lot of experience of this over the decades, and it will be core to the new-look business and how it meets customers' needs," he says.

To mark the occasion and promote the company's ethos of "Fighting for Fair", 2degrees also announced that they are giving the next generation of Kiwis born today a cash bonus from a $222,000 pool.

"What better way to celebrate our commitment to a fairer future for all New Zealanders, than by giving a bonus to those Kiwis who share this milestone day with us," says Callander.