Here it is then, Vodafone Statement of Claim (PDF download). A discussion on Geekzone is already going on here, this time with some technical comments since we know the claim.

This document lists all the points Vodafone New Zealand makes on its case against Telecom New Zealand.

The hearing is set for this Wednesday 6th May 10am in the Auckland High Court.

Note this is what Vodafone claims. We still have to see what is Telecom's answer - and any findings by experts...

We all know about Vodafone moving an action against Telecom claiming some of Telecom's new equipment is causing some interference with the existing Vodafone network. This has been on the news, blogs, forums around.

There's a long discussion on Geekzone about this, with mostly "opinions" since people in the know are not talking - smart move since the matter is now before courts.

But twenty days before the action was publicised, I posted something on Twitter about this "interference". Here is the sequence (click the names for the original tweets):

@freitasm (2:50 PM Apr 11th): "I heard that @telecomnz new 850MHz equipment is interfering with @vodafonenz 900MHz frequencies"

@vodafonenz (3:10 PM Apr 11th): "@freitasm not that I've heard. How could it? Like 99FM interfering with 104FM isn't it?"

@freitasm (3:51 PM Apr 11th): "@vodafonenz yes something ike that. Bad filters I hear...."

@nealrich (4:59 PM Apr 11th): "@freitasm like @vodafonenz there are a number of us who would like to know more"

@vodafonenz (5:07 PM Apr 11th): "@freitasm well I've heard nothing like that I"m afraid... who did you hear that from?"

About 20 days before the news about this action came out both sides denied anything about interference. Of course this doesn't prove they didn't know - and doesn't prove they did know.

But it was already a rumour back then, which means if it's really an interference, then someone else knew it was happening. Since this is out in the open on Twitter I think I can publish it here to refresh some people's memories...

The hearing dates for this case will be set Monday 4th May. I am really looking forward to seeing the results of this. Interesting times.

As posted in our forums:

Vodafone in court to defend customers

Vodafone has received a number of media enquiries relating to legal proceedings over network-related issues.

Vodafone can confirm that it has begun legal proceedings following a significant rise in the number of customer complaints relating to interference on its network.

These complaints led to testing which showed serious interference to Vodafone’s network caused by Telecom’s network, which is still under construction.

Because the matter is now before the Court, Vodafone will not be making any further comment until after the matter is resolved.

This is Telecom's answer:

AGGRESSIVE TACTICS WILL NOT STOP TELECOM BRINGING WORLD’S BEST MOBILE NETWORK TO NEW ZEALANDERS

Telecom New Zealand said today Vodafone had threatened legal proceedings over the launch of Telecom’s new XT mobile network.

“This is a piece of aggressive behaviour that betrays Vodafone’s insecurities about competition from Telecom’s new XT mobile network, just 13 days away from launch,” said Telecom chief executive Paul Reynolds.

“Telecom will vigorously resist the request for an injunction, and we remain on target to bring world-class 3G mobile services to New Zealanders from 6.30pm on 13 May.”

Telecom’s compliance with the terms of its licences was recently confirmed by the Ministry for Economic Development, as part of its investigation into interference issues between the WCDMA technology used by Telecom, and the GSM technology used by Vodafone and NZ Communications.

Following a series of test measurements and analysis…Telecom’s WCDMA transmitters meet the emission limits specified on spectrum licences issued pursuant to Telecom’s management rights. (From MED letter, 9 April)

Dr Reynolds said, on the information received so far, Vodafone’s technical problems with coverage and other issues were substantially of its own making, and not the responsibility of Telecom New Zealand.

“They are now reaping the cost of this and other poor technical decisions, and attempting to lay them at the feet of Telecom, just a few days out from the launch of our XT network.

“This timing is curious to say the least, and observers will draw their own conclusions.

“Telecom’s engineers have already been working with their counterparts at Vodafone, for several weeks now, to resolve these issues and this process has been working well.  We are disappointed that Vodafone has taken such extreme steps over an issue that can be resolved in a more constructive way – and most New Zealanders will be too.

“The XT network launch on 13 May will be a great day for New Zealand mobile customers, whereas today will only be seen as a sign of desperation by a global telecommunications giant,” said Paul Reynolds.

With all the work done to deliver a new mobile network on time, conform to separation undertakings, and all else, I guess Telecom New Zealand wanted to thank their people... I found this video on YouTube today:

According to Telecom's presence on Twitter the launch date for the XT Network is 13th May 2009 - ahead of schedule.

Telecom New Zealand's new network is based on WCDMA 850MHz, the same frequency used by Telstra in Australia and AT&T in the U.S. This ensures high level of compatibility for roaming customers.



As usual, discussion on Geekzone.

If you use Google Analytics on your domains then you should know a bit about Polaris Desktop Reporting for Google Analytics.

It is a beautiful application running on Adobe AIR - it means you can have it on Windows, Mac OS and Linux - and uses the just released Google Analytics API.

The application is free for one domain, or US$15/year for multiple domains.

It's a quick way to glance at your analytics stats, with beautiful charts on an browser-independent program.

That's it then... The upcoming Telecom New Zealand WCDMA network is now officially known as XT Network.

Subscribe for more information via email on their XT Network promotional website.

You can find more information about WCDMA 850MHz in a previous blog post. Also there's a discussion going on Geekzone about the TV ads and branding.

During the visit to HP Houston our group had the chance to see one of the HP Pod massive scale out "computing truck" - in short a datacentre in a container.

This HP Pod has storage racks, with each individual drive in these pictures a 1TB drive:

During our visit to HP Houston the group also had the chance to visit the production line responsible for manufacturing HP ProLiant and Blade servers.

HP c ustomers can take advantage of HP Factory Express, a portfolio of flexible, pre-priced, configured, customized and integrated factory solutions and deployment services – supporting HP products from the desktop to the data center with Windows, Linux, and HP-UX.

As part of my visit to HP in Houston the group was given a lot of background information on their new ProLiant G6 Server series, as well as their blade servers.

Below you can watch Krista introducing the ProLiant G6 Server, explaining the new features on this series: