CallPlus was a telecommunications company providing phone, calling, internet, mobile and advanced connectivity services to
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
businesses. Since 2016, CallPlus has been part of the
Vocus Group, which is the third-largest telecommunications company in New Zealand, and fourth-largest in Australia.
Annette Presley and Malcolm Dick (married at the time) founded the company in 1996. Presley, Dick, and Martin Wylie, former company secretary of
Telecom New Zealand
Spark New Zealand Limited is a New Zealand telecommunications company providing fixed-line telephone services, a mobile phone network, internet access services, and (through its Spark Digital division) ICT services to businesses. It was know ...
, are the company directors.
In 2001, CallPlus launched
Slingshot
A slingshot is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame, with two natural rubber strips or tubes attached to the upper two ends. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket that holds the pro ...
- an Internet Service Provider (ISP) focusing specifically on the residential market, positioning CallPlus as a business telecommunications company. Also in 2001, CallPlus was the first provider in New Zealand to offer
VOIP
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. The terms Internet t ...
. Continuing to innovate, CallPlus was the first telco in New Zealand to offer SIP Trunk capability.
In 2012, the company launched
Flip - a low cost ISP for the residential market.
In June 2014 the company bought internet service provider
Orcon.
In April 2015 the company was acquired by
M2 Group
M2 Group Ltd was an Australian retailer and wholesaler of telecommunications services as well as power, gas and insurance products.
On 5 February 2016, M2 Group Ltd merged into Vocus Communications.
History
Established in 1999, M2 Group Ltd ( ...
.
In 2016, M2 Group and Vocus Communications merged, forming Vocus Group, and in July 2017 CallPlus was rebranded to Vocus Communications - making Vocus Communications a full service telco for NZ businesses and organisations of all sizes.
In February 2020, The Commerce Commission announced that CallPlus, along with other Vocus subsidiaries Orcon and Flip, had been fined $121,500 for billing customers after their contracts had ended. All three subsidiaries pleaded guilty to making false representations in invoices they sent to customers.
References
External links
Vocus Communications NZ website
Telecommunications companies established in 1996
Internet service providers of New Zealand
Mobile phone companies of New Zealand
Telecommunications companies of New Zealand
M2 Group
New Zealand companies established in 1996
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