blackburn lass

Hi,

I have a 12 year old (practically a teenager) who, like most girls in the UK is obsest with her mobile. She has been promised a new phone for Christmas this year. But we are hoping to be in NZ before then.
Knowing that phones are way more expensive in NZ I would practically buy one before leaving the UK.
But my question is are mobiles as popular with the teenage groups (i.e. do they walk round with them constantly, ignoring everything around them) or due to the cost of them are the not as popular, therefore I would not have to waste money on one?

Any advise please

Thanks
Dawn X

Numptyhead

Hi Thanks for posting. Good question. I have one of those teenage grunting things and would love to know the answer too. Mine has just had hers confiscated possibly forever...no common sense at all...and they tell me she is intelligent....hmmm.

She's on the house phone now. Summer hols so obviously bored more than usual. Not our bill this time so not unduly concerned. OH walked past the bedroom door a while back and asked me who she is singing to? She's only singing to her school friend down the phone. The same kid that will be staying over on Mon night, who never offers to return the favour....I'll stop here, could start ranting. I will however need wine on Monday night

kiwichicks

Hi
Nothing chamges in NZ and teenagers have mobiles, with the constant texting
Mobiles are expensive here and would suggest you bring a couple of unlocked mobiles
There is many deals like UK and can get some good pay as you go plans

D

Tomsk

I'd agree with Kiwichicks, my teenagers use their mobiles constantly, and they seem to be every bit as important to teenagers over here as they are in the UK.
At present there are 2 main networks, Telecom & Vodafone, with 2degrees having just launched a couple of days ago. Vodafone works on the same SIM card system as UK mobiles and appears to be compatible with most mobile phones. Telecom has 2 systems, (please note that I know nothing about the technological side of phones) their original system works on phones without sim cards, so UK mobiles are not compatible. They then released the XT network earlier this year, which is a SIM card system, however my hubby whilst in England this June tried to find a UK phone that might be compatible. Despite assistance from various websites, a friend who works for Telecom NZ & the best efforts of the staff in Carphone Warehouse the phones he brought back weren't compatible with the XT network.
I've signed up with 2degrees myself, I get the feeling that the market here needs some competition, but it's so new that I haven't got the SIM card yet, much less any experience of it, so can't comment, beyond the fact that it's offerring rates at half the current vodafone/Telecom rates...but I've not gone into different plans.
However, it is worth knowing that the teenagers, pretty much universally in this area at any rate, want Telecom. They offer a great text package which ends up being 4000 texts for $20, but I understand that they only get so many cheap texts as long as they are texting Telecom phones, vodafone apparently costs more. Or at least so say my teens when they can't afford to text me on my vodafone. So both of my children arrived in NZ with flash new UK phones with all the bells & whistles that they wanted & we set them up on vodafone. Within 2 months they were begging for basic Telecom simless bricks so that they could text away to their friends to their heart's content

CarolineSwan

just something after reading the singing to friend down the phone... When i was younger me and my pal fiona would sit on the phone for hours( b4 you got free calls etc) then i would go to her house lol my dad would do his nut, he would be like omg what do you girls talk about

lets face it we all been there, just wasnt on mobiles

my neice and nephew had mobiles from they were 5 (8 and 11 now) and it was a great thing , they werent allowed them on at school but as soon as school finished they switched them on, was great for if pamela was stuck in traffick , they didnt have to worry etc and no more roaming the streets screaming for them she just calls them and tells them to get there ass home lol

Spacecake799

Hi Dawn,

I would say that whilst mobiles are used by all the teenagers here the difference is they don't care what sort of phone it is. You will see alot of the kids with much older style mobiles here you would'nt expect to see an expensive one.

Carole

Numptyhead

Carole, my love, I am guessing that you are the mother of a cute wee person/s that loves you with all her heart and to her/them you are the fountain of all knowledge and everything that is fab with the world.
This I promise you will all change before the blink of an eye. Not that I am wishing it on you....you understand...it just happens...I think it is the law. Great idea for younger kids, they are IMHO slightly more sensible than teenagers. Teenagers will call Oz from the UK because they met someone nice on 'Bebo'. WTF!
She has lost it for the whole summer hols for that little gem. Hence singing down the phone to dafter mate on the house phone Can you tell she is standing on my last nerve at the moment

Am Loolah

My teens have 2 phones each - one Telecom, one Vodafone - neither are flash, but it works out cheaper that way as they can use Telecom to text their friends on Telecom and vice versa with Vodafone!

Foxesecho

I arrived 5 weeks ago with new phones for both daughters (sony walkman sim phones 65 pounds from carphone warehouse).

Daughter number 1 has been in NZ for a year before me and has been using vodaphone txt 2000. She pays $10 a month for it and can quite easily use all 2000 txts in the month. Doesnt help when she txts from bedroom that she would like a glass of water or light turning off etc , to which I shout out the door "DO IT YOURSELF YOU LAZY THING"

Foxy

P2L

DD15 has 2 mobiles; one Telecom one Vodafone. the Telecom one is for mates and cost $10 a month for 2000texts, which she runs out of mid month and now has discovered a way of topping up for another 10 bucks to see her through the other 2 weeks!!!!

The Vodafone is for 'the olds' as she so lovingly refers to me and her dad as. We are both on Vodafone and as she is part time babysitter for brother and sis when we are working, we top up for her, which costs us $12 a month ( Best Mates plan! ) She is not particularly interested in Telecom XT as lots of her mates are already coming away from it, more expensive than the standard XT; less texts for more money from what I can gather.

The only real difference here to the UK as the OP have said is the choice of phones here and also, kids do have them a lot later on. Our other DD is 11 on Monday and she still doesnt have one, and won't be until High School in another 2 years. This is because the MAJORITY of her friends also DO NOT have phones either.

I've put the links here for you to look at

www.vodafone.co.nz

www.telecom.co.nz

http://www.2degreesmobile.co.nz/

HTH
Sarah

Kiwiprincess

I was going to say it's worse due to lots of teenagers having two mobiles due to the different pricing plans on each network.

2 degrees may shake things up, but I suspect it will still need a major shift to do much change. I hope it's 2 degrees (even though I am probably sticking with vodafone).

Wooly_Cow

A bit of techie stuff :

Telecom Mobile - CDMA technology - now only used in the US and NZ (Australia has phased it out) - no SIM cards - phones locked to network. Due to be phased out here - no dates for this yet

Vodafone - 2G / GSM - uses SIM cards like those in O2, Vodafone etc. in the UK - like has been said MOST unlocked GSM phones will work on it.

XT - Telecoms 3G network (WCDMA) - will only work with a 3G compatible phone such as Three in the UK provided they support WCDMA 850Mhz. Here's a list of phones that should work http://www.geekzone.co.nz/Jama/6461 - 3G phones tend to be backwards compatible i.e they will work on 2G networks....but as Telecom doesn't have one of these.

Roaming

On Telecom - only US really
On Vodafone - everywhere that has GSM = everywhere
On XT - everywhere as but the handsets should be 850/2100MHz WCDMA and also 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM (quadband) to get maximum coverage and choice

I Phone

Will work on XT indeed that's the main reason for Telecom launching it.

The newcomer - 2 Degrees

This is a 900MHz GSM mobile network. Data is provided using both GPRS and EDGE technology. Their network is 2100Mhz 3G capable, however they havent turned it on

They use Vodafone national roaming for coverage. Same handset rules apply as Vodafone.

Hope this helps

Oh and by the way MOBLIES, CALLS AND TEXTS are VERY expensive here....best to try and wean your kids off them....YEAH RIGHT!

Spacecake799

Thanks for that,

My lovely children are 17 and 16 and think i know nothing. My daughter uses all her txts also within 2 weeks of the 2000 txts kicking in.

I simply meant that there does'nt seem to be the same need for the latest gadgets here or the latest fashion.

Cheers

Carole

CarolineSwan

I wasnt saying it wouldnt bother me , im sure i will go daft when lucy is older and has a phone..
I was just saying what i used to get up to on the phone as your daughter reminded me of myself thats all .
I know everything not right with the world ,I just dont let things bother me thats all

kiwinow

Our kids specifically asked for telecom because most of their friends have telecom. For $10 month they can txt free for the month to other telecom users, but not their mother who has vodafone, so while I can contact them they often don't answer using that as their excuse, so I'm going to get a Telecom kid phone aswell as my Vodafone dad phone. They are expensive but there are good deals sometimes.

And yes they are glued to them over here too.