Telstra to terminate Kogan Mobile customers

ispONE’s voluntary administrator has cancelled supply of Telstra Wholesale Pre-Paid Mobile

 

ispONE has been a customer of Telstra Wholesale for mobile products, as well as broadband and a relatively small number of fixed line voice products. ispONE on-sold these products and services to retailers and in some instances to the public.  For example, ispONE supplied two companies, the online retailer Kogan Mobile and Medion (who sells mobile services through the ALDImobile brand), utilising the Telstra Wholesale Pre-Paid Mobile product.

Telstra Wholesale has been advised that ispONE has appointed Ferrier Hodgson as a voluntary administrator and the administrator has cancelled the contract for the supply of Telstra Wholesale Pre-Paid Mobile products.  Post-Paid Mobile, fixed and broadband (other than Pre-Paid Mobile broadband) services have not been impacted by the appointment of the administrator.

Telstra Wholesale has entered into an interim agreement with Medion Australia for the supply of wholesale Pre-Paid Mobile services. Medion is the supplier to ALDImobile.

How are Pre-Paid Mobile services affected?
Because Medion has entered into a direct supply agreement with Telstra Wholesale, Telstra is able to continue to supply Medion to support their ALDImobile customers.

Given the Pre-Paid Mobile relationship with ispONE has ended, and in the absence of any direct contractual relationship with Kogan Mobile, Telstra will not be accepting new activations, number port-ins or processing credit recharges from ispONE on behalf of Kogan Mobile.

An interim service will be available for a fixed period of time for people who have active pre-paid mobile services from Kogan Mobile, so that they have time to choose their next steps. The interim service will be provided at Telstra’s cost.

We will progressively deactivate Kogan Mobile services according to the transition plan described below. Through this managed process, we aim to ensure that everyone can transfer their mobile phone number to another provider if they wish to do so.

Transition plan to help those with Kogan Mobile services
To minimise any inconvenience, Telstra Wholesale will provide limited interim services. If you have an active pre-paid service with Kogan Mobile, Telstra Wholesale will enable a limited service to give you time to choose your preferred retailer and, if necessary, move your number to that retailer.

What service is available?
Telstra Wholesale will send an SMS to users of Kogan Mobile services as follows:
“An important message from Telstra Wholesale about your mobile service. Kogan Mobile services are no longer supported. You can’t recharge but your number remains active for voice calls SMS. Find out at http://goo.gl/9qYEEOabout how you can keep your number transfer your mobile service to another provider. Contact Kogan Mobile for support.”

From today, you cannot recharge. Regardless of your plan’s expiry date, existing voice, SMS and data balances will be available for up to a maximum of 30 days from 19 August 2013. If your current plan adds a data allowance each month, this allowance will no longer be added.

Over the next 30 days, Telstra will progressively move all active Kogan Mobile services to a limited 7 Day Plan. There are limits to the whole industry’s capacity to implement mobile number porting requests. If large numbers of people try to port out at once there may be some delays.

The time you have left to consume any existing voice, SMS and data balances will depend on when you are moved to the 7 Day Plan. This could be any time during the next 30 days. We will prioritise those with no or low credit balances or time left on their plan, consistent with our aim to keep the mobile number porting process working efficiently.

What is the limited 7 Day Plan?
During the 7 Day Plan the service will be limited to 20 voice call minutes and 20 SMS messages to Australian numbers, while data services, international calls and MMS will be excluded.  Voice call durations will be rounded up to the next whole minute and the 20 minutes allowance includes calls forwarded to voicemail.

Unplayed voicemail messages are held for 10 days. Played voicemail messages are held for 7 days. Played and stored messages are held for 10 days. Voicemails can be played until their expiry. Voicemail retrieval will not use up your 20 voice call minutes during the 7 Day Plan. Current voicemails cannot be retrieved after you transfer your mobile phone number to another service provider.

When will the 7 Day Plan start for me and how will I be notified?
Over the next 30 days, Telstra Wholesale will progressively send out another SMS message, confirming that start of your 7 Day Plan.

We will send this SMS message in batches every day over the next 30 days and we will prioritise those with little or no remaining credit balance.

What happens after the 7 Day Plan?
After the 7 Day Plan, and for a period of 6 months, the service will no longer be able to make calls, although it will still receive calls and you’ll be able to make emergency 000 calls.  If the service has not ported out after the 6 month period, the service will be cancelled and the number placed in quarantine.

If you lose outbound service before your 7 Day Plan
You may lose your outbound voice and SMS service if your credit, plan or monthly recharge expires before your 7 Day Plan begins. Data top up will also no longer be available.

You will not be able to recharge, so if you lose your outbound service, we advise you to transfer your service to another provider immediately.

Transferring to another mobile provider
If you are affected by this situation you may want to move to another mobile service provider. You can keep your existing mobile number when you change to a new service provider.  This is known as mobile number porting.

Mobile service providers will act on porting requests from anyone wishing to transfer their mobile number to the supplier of their choice. There are limits on how many ports the industry can process in addition to normal sales and activation activity, so please be patient. Telstra has briefed the industry group that ensures the efficient operation of Mobile Number Porting to prepare for increased volumes of transfers as a result of this event.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) publishes a factsheet on mobile number portabilityhere.

Contact your service provider for support
Please contact Kogan Mobile for customer service support and for any other matters.

Customers of Kogan Mobile are not customers of Telstra. If you are a customer of Kogan Mobile, we do not have access to your personal information and we cannot provide you with customer service support. The company that sold you your service is your retailer and your best point of contact.