Trustpower to offer mobile

AUCKLAND: Trustpower is to offer mobile phone services and wireless broadband through a wholesaling deal with Spark New Zealand.

The electricity, gas, phone and internet provider said it would work with Spark to develop the new products in coming months.

‘‘Trustpower has been seek ing access to mobile services for some time, and is delighted to have secured a wholesale supply arrangement with Spark,’’ Craig Neustroski, the firm’s general manager for markets, said.

‘‘Mobile is

increasingly important to our customers, and the ability to offer it as part of our household services bundle is exciting.’’

Trustpower shares rose 1c to $6.43, taking their gain this year to 7%.

The company has offered phone and internet services since 2007 and began offering gas in 2013 as part of a strategy to target more valuable customers and discourage them from changing supplier.

It had close to 400,000 customer connections at the end of

September, and its more than 91,000 telco connections gave it the country’s fourthlargest base of fixedline internet services users.

Churn rates among customers taking power, gas and internet are roughly half those of customers taking electricity only.

More than 102,000 take more than one service from the company. — BusinessDesk