Spark New Zealand : Commerce Commission releases mobile market study preliminary findings

Spark New Zealand welcomes the Commerce Commission's release today of its mobile market study preliminary findings.

Spark GM for Regulation John Wesley Smith says Spark is pleased that the preliminary findings for the study confirm competition indicators such as pricing, coverage and choice of mobile services are trending in a positive direction for consumers. The Commission also states that current regulatory settings are fit for purpose.

'This reflects what we see and experience in the market - that competition is working well, and we need to continually work to provide great value and innovative solutions for our customers.

As the Commission's report notes, New Zealanders are using their mobiles more and more every day, with mobile data usage increasing 69% year on year.

'We note the Commission's comments about the importance of spectrum to future competition, and we will continue to engage with the Commission and MBIE in the coming months on future spectrum allocations,' said Mr Wesley Smith.

The Commission's preliminary findings indicate that the current New Zealand market structure and competition are serving New Zealanders well.

The Commission has published the mobile market study preliminary findings on its website here and has set out next steps and a timetable for the process. The Commission is expected to publish its mobile market study findings paper, completing the process, on 30 September 2019.