Vodafone has announced its plans for the new iPhone 3GS, which will be launched here on July 10.
The 16GB iPhone 3GS will cost $699 on what Vodafone calls its iPhone $40 plan. For $40 a month on a two-year contract users get 20 minutes of call-time, 100 texts and a 250MB data cap.
The $60 plan delivers a 3GS for $649 with 60 minutes, 200 texts and the same data cap, while on the $80 plan the phone costs $599 with 120 minutes of call time, 600 texts and the same data cap.
The data cap finally rises to 500MB on the $130 plan, with 250 minutes of call time and 600 texts. The iPhone 3GS costs $399 on this plan.
The 32GB iPhone 3GS starts at $899 on the same $40 plan and can be had for $599 on the $130 plan.
Vodafone spokesman Paul Brislen described the value of the plans today as "fabulous".
He says comparisons with Australia, where an iPhone can now be bought on a plan for no cost, are not valid.
"You have to go to Australia to get that," he says. It's a completely different country with more customers and different rules, he adds.
Brislen says the plans represent at least a 20% discount compared with buying the same services at standard Vodafone New Zealand rates.
Users can buy increased data caps and Vodafone, ahead of an expected iPhone launch by rival Telecom, is enticing new users with an offer of 1,000 free PXT to any Vodafone mobile and 3GB of mobile data until the end of September.
That offer is also being extended to any existing iPhone user with version 3.0 software on their phone, says Brislen.