Electric Kiwi is venturing into the mobile phone market with Kiwi Mobile, offering a flexible data plan that charges customers based on their actual usage each month.
Electric Kiwi is venturing into the mobile phone market with Kiwi Mobile, offering a flexible data plan that charges customers based on their actual usage each month. Kiwi Mobile is an MVNO (A Mobile Virtual Network Operator - a company that does not own a mobile spectrum license but sells mobile services under its brand name) and operates on the 2degrees network.
Kiwi Mobile plans charge on a daily rate, in a similar way to how Electric Kiwi market their broadband offering.
Under the Choice plan, Kiwi Mobile provides 5 gigabytes of maximum speed data starting at $1.30 per day. Once the high-speed data is used up, customers can continue with *Endless data at slower speeds or upgrade for the rest of the billing cycle.
Kiwi Mobile has launched with an offer of five tiers, with the biggest plan offering up to 100 GB of maximum speed data each month.
Commenting on the launch, Electric Kiwi's chief executive, Luke Blincoe, notes that research shows most people on postpaid plans have an average of 6.7 gigabytes of unused data left over each month. For example, a customer with a 15GB pay-monthly endless plan for $65 would pay the full amount even if they only used 9GB. With Kiwi Mobile, the same customer would only pay $44 for 9GB.
"We estimate that inflexible data thresholds are costing Kiwis on postpaid plans over $400 million annually in wasted data. Our Choice plan aims to significantly reduce that figure," says Blincoe.
Electric Kiwi joins other power companies like Nova Energy, Contact Energy, and Mercury in adding telecommunications to their services, including broadband products.
Blincoe adds that the Choice plan avoids the "tactics of confusion," such as hidden costs or penalty fees for leaving. Something the team at NZ Compare are very happy to see!
This aligns with the Commerce Commission’s draft guidelines for telecommunications providers, announced last year, which call for greater transparency in pricing and coverage to help consumers make informed decisions.
Electric Kiwi has previously challenged such practices. In February, it formally complained to the commission about broadband companies requiring 30-day notice periods when changing providers – a practice banned in power retailing.
"We're not keen on the sneaky notice periods some of the other guys use," Blincoe says.
He also notes that terms like 'unlimited' or 'endless' plans can be misleading, as they are often subject to tapering in ways that are not clearly communicated to customers.
Rollover or carryover data plans require upfront payment for a data allowance but risk expiring when carried over into the next month. Switching plans or porting to another provider risks losing any remaining data.
"There’s a playbook for the big guys that goes something like: extract as much margin out of your customer as possible through confusing plans and then, when competitors put the pressure on, rebrand and do it all over again," Blincoe says.
Kiwi Mobile Launch Promo
Kiwi Mobile is offering new customers their first three months free, including access to all five data tiers: 5GB, 10GB, 20GB, 40GB, and 100GB.
Customers can use the app to manage their usage and control costs, with automation options available. The plan also includes free hot spotting and unlimited calls and texts to New Zealand and Australian numbers.
Customers can add up to four additional users to their Kiwi Mobile account, with discounts for each addition. Each user gets their own plan and can choose their own fast data cap each month, eliminating the need to agree on a shared amount.
Compare Kiwi Mobile Plans with Mobile Compare here.
Who owns Kiwi Mobile?
Kiwi Mobile is owned and operated by Electric Kiwi. It is what is known in the industry as a mobile virtual network operator or MNVO. That means it uses the 2degrees network and sells its own branded version of the service, with its own mix of plans and pricing.
How much is a Kiwi Mobile plan?
Under the Choice plan, Kiwi Mobile provides 5 gigabytes of maximum speed data starting at $1.30 per day.
Is Kiwi Mobile any good?
As a new mobile plan provider in NZ there are currently limited reviews on Kiwi Mobile - but you can see the latest reviews here - on Mobile Compare.
Is Kiwi Mobile a bundled offering?
No - you can be a Kiwi Mobile customer without having your power or broadband with Electric Kiwi.
Kiwi Mobile Plans
There is essentially only one plan on Kiwi Mobile - You're in control and you don’t need to commit to the same amount of data or cost each month. You can automate how your upgrades work in the Kiwi Mobile app and the plan operates in tiers.
Tiers are like different Kiwi Mobile plans. If you run out of fast data at any time you can level up. You’ll only pay for the higher data tier for the days that you are on it.
5 GB Kiwi Mobile Tier - $1.30/day
10 GB Kiwi Mobile Tier - $1.60/day
20 GB Kiwi Mobile Tier - $1.90/day
40 GB Kiwi Mobile Tier - $2.00/day
100 GB Kiwi Mobile Tier - $2.10/day
Remember - you get the first 3 months free with Kiwi Mobile sign up promo.