Commerce Commission files charges against One NZ over ‘100% coverage’ campaign

Photograph: RNZ/Nate McKinnon

The Commerce Commission is laying criminal charges against One NZ, which claims its satellite service has 100 per cent mobile coverage.

The Commission believes that the advertising campaign for the satellite service run by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company may have breached the Fair Trading Act.

The regulator said this The ads were likely misleading because they gave the impression that all currently available services would be supported and available starting this year, but this may not be the case.

He said One NZ gave the impression that consumers could access instant communications from anywhere.

The coverage will initially only provide text messages, and consumers’ phones must have line-of-sight to the sky for the satellite service to work.

The telecommunications company said it would do so. start testing the service in October before making it commercially available in the new year.

A New Zealander said he would vigorously defend the legal charges.

“Our language was consistent with long-standing practices in how scope is defined by the industry and the regulator in New Zealand,” the company said in a statement. The statement was included. He was confident that SpaceX could offer mobile coverage across New Zealand.