Telecom says customers on its XT network, from Taupo southwards, began experiencing significant interruption to voice services at around 4pm today.

In a short statement released at 6.15pm, Telecom advised that along with voice services, SMS and data services are also affected, but to a lesser extent.

Telecom and network partner Alcatel-Lucent are taking immediate steps to restore service, and will give updates as the situation develops.