Clear-out imminent for TelstraClear?

Stuart Corner
Friday, 09 February 2007 08:18

IT Industry - Deals

New Zealand telecoms newsletter, The Line, reports growing speculation that Telstra's New Zealand subsidiary, TelstraClear is about to become simply Telstra.

It says some staff are already announcing that they are from Telstra rather than TelstraClear, and "The carrier is understood to be trialling mobile media services already being trialled by Telstra in Australia, that will be badged with Telstra."

The newsletter speculates "One also wonders if the tired old Internet brands of Paradise and Clear will be ditched in favour of one new brand, possibly BigPond, as the company uses in Australia."

TelstraClear started life in late 1990 as Clear Communications, the main competitor to former monopoly Telecom New Zealand. It was a consortium of Bell Canada, MCI International and NZ interests including the Todd Corporation. In the absence of any telecom specific legislation in New Zealand if fought a long and bitter interconnect battle with Telecom NZ that went eventually to the highest legal body in the British Commonwealth, the Privy Council.

In 1996 BT bought Bell Canada's 25 percent shareholding at which time the company had four equal shareholders: Television New Zealand, MCI, Todd Corporation and BT.

In 1998 BT bought out MCI taking its stake to 50 percent and by the middle of 1999 had bought the company outright.Telstra acquired a controlling stake in late 2001 when TelstraSaturn, its NZ joint venture with Austar, bought Clear Communications. It was renamed TelstraClear, and Telstra subsequently acquired 100 percent of the company.