Telecom New Zealand’s planned launch of WCDMA/HSPA services next week has been thrown into doubt following legal action by rival Vodafone, which claims that deployment will cause interference to Vodafone customers. According to a New Zealand Herald report, Vodafone today asked for an interim injunction at the country’s High Court in Auckland, saying Telecom had not fitted its new transmitters with filters which would prevent interference to Vodafone customers. Vodafone already has over 1 million 3G customers using its 900MHz network, whilst CDMA operator Telecom plans to move over to WCDMA technology, using the 850MHz band, on 13 May. The New Zealand Herald report notes that Vodafone is only seeking to delay the launch – citing concern over its customers’ ability to make emergency calls if the Vodafone network is suffering interference – and not stop it. It wants filters across the Telecom network before the new system is launched. The case is proceeding.

Last week Telecom issued a statement on the matter. “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,” Telecom chief executive Paul Reynolds said at the time. “Telecom will vigorously resist the request for an injunction.” Telecom added that, following a series of test measurements and analysis, its WCDMA transmitters “meet the emission limits specified on spectrum licenses issued pursuant to Telecom’s management rights.” It believes that Vodafone’s technical problems with coverage and other issues “were substantially of its own making, and not the responsibility of Telecom New Zealand.”