As the rugby tournament continues to heat up in Japan, Vodafone New Zealand customers are reaping the benefits of seamless overseas connectivity.

Last weekend, as fans lined up in pubs and homes around the country to watch the quarter-final, more than 5,500 Kiwis were roaming on the Vodafone New Zealand network in Japan – an increase of five times the number of people visiting during a usual weekend in Japan.

Sharina Nisha, Head of Platforms, said: “We saw a fivefold increase in data usage from Kiwi travellers roaming in Japan – equating to more than 10 terabytes of data. There were more than four times the amount of normal mobile call minutes*, and nearly six times the amount of SMS** sent in the month leading up to 19 October.”

“As the tournament ramps up to the finals, we’re preparing for even more increases in mobile phone usage as Kiwi travellers in Japan report their experiences back to family and friends at home – or try to stay connected to the office.”

Vodafone New Zealand on-account customers are able to roam in more than 100 destinations globally for just $7 per day***. This means they can use their data, minutes and txts as soon as they land in a roaming destination just like they do at home.

Sharina adds: “We’ve invested several millions in Vodafone network upgrades to prepare for the games, including considerably speeding up investment in this area. As a result, our network will be 17 months ahead of our original plans when the games conclude.

“Pleasingly we’ve had no reported network issues during the tournament, so are delighted the Vodafone network has offered solid connectivity for our customers.”

Visit https://www.vodafone.co.nz/ to learn more.

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Notes to editor:

* More than 100,000 minutes of calls were made by Vodafone NZ customers roaming in Japan from 19 September to 19 October 2019

** More than 80,000 txt messages were sent from Vodafone NZ customers roaming in Japan in the month to 19 October 2019

*** Prepay customers can choose to purchase international roaming options by buying a separate bundle for $5 or $19.