The nationwide fully interconnected voice network will make Symbio the first fully integrated voice network connecting Australia and New Zealand.
“We believe that Symbio’s expansion in New Zealand will drive healthy wholesale competition. Our solutions are modular and scalable, bringing enhanced innovation and product choice to the New Zealand wholesale market,” said Steven Norman, business development and carrier relations manager at Symbio.
Both networks in the two countries were built from scratch using the same platforms and systems so that the two countries can operate as one network, which in turn enables carriers entering the Australia and New Zealand market to have access to both countries under one agreement.
The new network will enable Symbio to offer wholesale service providers with next-gen voice services backed by API capabilities. This includes ITFS, local DIDs, mobile numbers, call origination & termination, integrated billing, provisioning and network management services.
Jet Interactive, the call analytics company, became one of the first customers on the new network.
“It was important for us to choose a provider with a focus on wholesale, with the flexibility to accommodate our specialised requirements,” said, Justin Graham, director of Jet Interactive. “Symbio Networks New Zealand has allowed Jet to export our call analytics and telecommunications services that have been so popular in Australia.”
Operationally call collection and termination take place in New Zealand, and are billed in the local currency. While existing Symbio customers can raise new international orders using the existing platform.
As a purely wholesale provider, Norman says that Symbio is helping to create balance in the market and helping to get wholesalers the best deal.
“Wholesalers are not getting a good deal. Carriers are paying lip service to the wholesale market in New Zealand; features are pared down as they are focused on their retail offering,” he explained.
The points of presence for the new network are located in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington and Christchurch. These strategic locations enable Symbio to provide a redundant interconnection with New Zealand-based telecommunications infrastructure companies: Spark New Zealand, Vodafone, 2Degrees and Chorus.
