Orcon had been teasing its customers for a while with this, but now it's here: Genius.
Genius does away with your home phone, replacing it with a modem/router and VoIP phone (Voice over Internet Protocol). So you make calls over the internet rather than a phone line. This makes calls much cheaper.
For $70 Orcon is offering a 30GB data cap with standard calling rates or a 5GB data cap with "unlimited" national landline calls. This should be more accurately described by Orcon as free calls to national landlines for up to 1 hour. After 1 hour Orcon’s national call rates apply – it’s not unlimited. Local calls are free.
This is called "naked broadband" because you don’t have a landline. Orcon has just made it easier for you to have your old phone number and to make calls. Most people with naked broadband use their mobile phones to make calls.
Genius comes as a bundled package, so if you already have a modem/router and VoIP phone, you'll still need Orcon's device. If you get the Genius Lite, you can just plug your home phone into that. See the table below for pricing details.
Tip: Monitored devices such as medic alert or monitored alarms require a landline and are therefore not compatible with Genius.
We’ll be adding the Genius tariffs into our new TelMe telecommunications comparison website as soon as we can.
Orcon's calling rates are:
- Free local calling
- 19c per minute national calling capped at $2.95 for up to 1 hour (or included in the monthly rental if Unlimited National Calling is selected).
- NZ mobile calling 43c per minute. 100 minute bundles available for $20 per month.
- International calling is between 19c and 60c per minute depending on the country. Or you can add unlimited calls to 1 country for an extra $13 a month (Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa ($20), South Korea, Taiwan, USA, UK).
| Monthly charge ($) | Term (months) | Modem monthly charge ($) | |
| Genius | 70 | 12 to 24 | 10 (free on 24 month plan) |
| Genius Lite | 70 | 12 to 18 | 5 (free on 18 month plan) |
Term - a no-fixed-term contract is also available, but a $99 connection fee is charged.
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Since this service started my internet speeds have been like dialup.
Speedtest shows 11mb but pages take forever to load and I can't get anyone at Orcon to answer the phone or email to get it sorted.
be careful with VoIP.
We have just signed up for VoIP and the call quality is terrible. I can no longer use my landline for business calls as often I cannot be heard clearly. The comments are generally that it "sounds like you're talking into a bucket" or "a million miles away".
Probably passable for domestic use but not important business calls
For only $55.95 for 'naked' Telstra cable internet and $11.50 for Xnet VFX I get 15Mbps/2Mbps 20GB, mobile calling 31c, international 5c to most countries, free local calling, plus all the features - Caller ID, voice mail, call waiting etc. I highly recommend it.
There isn't really anything new about the offering from Orcon. Except perhaps that they have done a good job with their marketing.
I would imagine that most people with naked broadband already use VoIP as their main phone.
There are other VoIP services in New Zealand such as 2Talk, and WorldxChange.
Being limited to only using their Genius device is restrictive. There are many great quality VoIP devices out there which may be better suited to individual circumstances.