WELLINGTON, New Zealand-AAPT and Lucent Technologies Inc. said they abandoned plans to roll out a CDMA network in Australia. AAPT, a Telecom New Zealand subsidiary, suspended rollout of the network last December to review the plan and determined it would not continue with the launch.
Mohan Jesudason, Telecom New Zealand general manager, mobile, said the companies decided to stop the rollout in view of changes in the Australian mobile communications market.
“AAPT and Lucent undertook a comprehensive mutual review of the project since the agreement to suspend the rollout was decided last December and have now agreed to wind up the rollout,” said Jesudason.
“AAPT has spent in excess of $81.6 million on the CDMA rollout up until Dec. 31, 2000, but the extent of any write-off will be known only in due course. Telecom will make an appropriate disclosure at that point.”
Telecom New Zealand is still rolling out a CDMA network in New Zealand, with commercial launch scheduled in “a few months time,” said the company.
