CallPlus

CallPlus was a New Zealand telecommunications company established in 1996 by Annette Presley and Malcolm Dick. The business developed as a provider of telecommunications services for New Zealand companies and organisations, offering telephone calling, internet access, mobile services, and more advanced business connectivity products. Its activity placed it primarily in the business telecommunications market, although the company also developed residential-facing brands and services over time. A significant stage in CallPlus's development came in 2001, when it launched Slingshot as an internet service provider focused on residential customers. This allowed CallPlus to maintain a business-oriented identity while participating in the consumer broadband market through a separate brand. In the same year, CallPlus became the first provider in New Zealand to offer voice over internet protocol, or VoIP, according to the company's historical account. It later introduced SIP Trunk capability, enabling business voice services to be delivered over internet protocol networks rather than relying solely on traditional telephone infrastructure. CallPlus expanded its residential portfolio again in 2012 with the launch of Flip, positioned as a low-cost internet service provider. In June 2014, it acquired internet service provider Orcon, adding another established consumer and connectivity brand to its operations. The company was acquired by M2 Group in April 2015. M2 subsequently became part of the larger Vocus structure when M2 Group and Vocus Communications merged in 2016. Following that corporate consolidation, CallPlus was rebranded as Vocus Communications in July 2017. The rebranding was intended to present Vocus Communications as a full-service telecommunications provider for New Zealand businesses and organisations of different sizes. As a result, CallPlus ceased operating as a distinct principal brand, even though services and brands associated with the business continued within the broader Vocus portfolio. CallPlus's later history also included regulatory scrutiny. In February 2020, New Zealand's Commerce Commission announced that CallPlus, together with the Vocus subsidiaries Orcon and Flip, had been fined a combined amount of NZ$121,500 for billing customers after their contracts had ended. The companies pleaded guilty to making false representations in invoices issued to customers. This episode is the principal publicly documented controversy associated with the CallPlus name.

CallPlus was founded in New Zealand in 1996 by Annette Presley and Malcolm Dick. The company entered telecommunications as a provider oriented toward business customers, supplying calling, telephone, internet, mobile, and connectivity services. Its development took place during the transition from traditional fixed-line telecommunications toward internet-based communications and broader competition in New Zealand's telecommunications market. In 2001, CallPlus launched Slingshot, an internet service provider directed at residential customers. Slingshot gave the company a consumer-facing presence while CallPlus itself remained associated primarily with business telecommunications. The same year, CallPlus became the first New Zealand provider to offer VoIP, according to the company's published history. VoIP enabled voice calls to be transmitted over internet networks and represented an important shift away from conventional circuit-switched telephone services. CallPlus continued to develop business communications infrastructure and was also the first New Zealand telecommunications provider to offer SIP Trunk capability. SIP Trunking allows organisations to connect voice services to a private branch exchange through an IP network, supporting business telephony over modern data connections. These developments helped establish CallPlus as a company associated with early adoption of IP-based telecommunications in New Zealand. The company expanded its residential portfolio in 2012 by launching Flip, a low-cost internet service provider. In June 2014, CallPlus acquired Orcon, another New Zealand internet service provider. The transaction strengthened CallPlus's position in consumer internet and added another recognised service brand to the group. In April 2015, M2 Group acquired CallPlus. The following year, M2 Group and Vocus Communications merged, creating Vocus Group, a major telecommunications group operating in New Zealand and Australia. In July 2017, CallPlus was rebranded as Vocus Communications. The change positioned the Vocus name as the principal full-service telecommunications identity for New Zealand businesses and organisations of different sizes, and CallPlus consequently ceased to operate as a distinct standalone brand. The CallPlus name later appeared in a regulatory enforcement matter involving customer billing. In February 2020, the New Zealand Commerce Commission announced that CallPlus, along with the Vocus subsidiaries Orcon and Flip, had been fined NZ$121,500. The companies pleaded guilty to making false representations in invoices by billing customers after their contracts had ended. This regulatory action is the main documented compliance controversy associated with the brand. CallPlus is therefore best understood as a defunct New Zealand telecommunications brand whose business, technology capabilities, and associated consumer brands were absorbed into the corporate and brand architecture of M2 Group and subsequently Vocus Group.

• 2020

  Commerce Commission enforcement

  [1]CallPlusen.wikipedia.org

  CallPlus, Orcon, and Flip were fined NZ$121,500 after pleading guilty to false representations in invoices relating to post-contract billing.

• 2017

  CallPlus rebranded

  [1]CallPlusen.wikipedia.org

  CallPlus was rebranded as Vocus Communications in July, ending its use as the principal standalone brand.

• 2016

  M2 Group and Vocus Communications merged

  [1]CallPlusen.wikipedia.org

  The combination of M2 Group and Vocus Communications formed Vocus Group, which became CallPlus's wider corporate group.

• 2015

  Acquired by M2 Group

  [1]CallPlusen.wikipedia.org

  M2 Group acquired CallPlus in April.

• 2014

  Orcon acquired

  [1]CallPlusen.wikipedia.org

  CallPlus acquired internet service provider Orcon in June.

• 2012

  Flip launched

  [1]CallPlusen.wikipedia.org

  CallPlus introduced Flip as a low-cost residential internet service provider.

• 2001

  Slingshot launched

  [1]CallPlusen.wikipedia.org

  CallPlus launched Slingshot as a residential-focused internet service provider.

• 2001

  VoIP introduced

  [1]CallPlusen.wikipedia.org

  CallPlus became the first New Zealand provider to offer voice-over-IP services, according to the company's historical account.

• 1996

  CallPlus founded

  [1]CallPlusen.wikipedia.org

  Annette Presley and Malcolm Dick founded CallPlus in New Zealand as a telecommunications business focused on business customers.

A New Zealand business telecommunications provider that expanded into residential internet through separate brands and differentiated itself through early adoption of IP-based voice and connectivity services.

• Business telecommunications · 1996

  Business telecommunications services

  CallPlus's core business consisted of telecommunications services for New Zealand companies and organisations. Its scope included telephone and calling services, internet access, mobile services, and advanced connectivity. The business-oriented portfolio distinguished CallPlus from its residential brands and supported the company's later positioning as part of a full-service telecommunications group.

• Residential internet service provider · 2001

  Slingshot

  Slingshot was launched by CallPlus in 2001 as an internet service provider focused specifically on residential customers. It provided CallPlus with a consumer-facing brand separate from the parent company's business telecommunications identity and became one of the principal residential offerings associated with the group.

• Low-cost residential internet · 2012

  Flip

  Flip was introduced in 2012 as a low-cost residential internet service provider. It extended CallPlus's presence in consumer broadband and complemented Slingshot and Orcon within the group's collection of residential internet brands.

• Internet service provider

  Orcon

  Orcon was an established New Zealand internet service provider acquired by CallPlus in June 2014. The acquisition expanded CallPlus's internet and residential-market activities and added a separate consumer brand to its telecommunications portfolio.

• Internet telephony · 2001

  VoIP services

  CallPlus offered voice-over-IP services and was identified as the first provider in New Zealand to offer VoIP in 2001. The service used internet networks to carry voice communications and reflected the company's emphasis on emerging IP-based telecommunications technologies.

• Business voice connectivity

  SIP Trunk capability

  CallPlus offered SIP Trunk capability for business communications, allowing voice systems to connect through IP networks. The company described itself as the first New Zealand telco to offer this capability, which supported the migration of enterprise telephony toward converged voice and data infrastructure.

• 2020

  Post-contract customer billing

  The Commerce Commission announced that CallPlus, together with Orcon and Flip, had been fined NZ$121,500 for billing customers after their contracts had ended. All three businesses pleaded guilty to making false representations in invoices sent to customers.

  Source

Read more

• 2017

  Rebranding as Vocus CommunicationsStrategy

  Background

  After the formation of Vocus Group, the business sought to present a unified full-service telecommunications identity for New Zealand organisations.

  Action taken

  CallPlus was rebranded as Vocus Communications in July 2017.

  Aftermath

  CallPlus ceased to operate as the principal standalone brand, while its services and associated brands continued within the wider Vocus portfolio.

  Source

• 2016

  Formation of Vocus GroupM&A

  Background

  M2 Group and Vocus Communications combined their operations to create a larger telecommunications group serving Australia and New Zealand.

  Action taken

  M2 Group and Vocus Communications merged, forming Vocus Group.

  Aftermath

  CallPlus operated within the Vocus Group structure before its own brand identity was replaced by Vocus Communications.

  Source

• 2015

  M2 Group acquisitionM&A

  Background

  CallPlus became part of a larger telecommunications group as the New Zealand market continued to consolidate.

  Action taken

  M2 Group acquired CallPlus in April 2015.

  Aftermath

  CallPlus subsequently became part of the corporate structure that joined M2 Group with Vocus Communications in 2016.

  Source

• 2014

  Acquisition of OrconM&A

  Background

  CallPlus sought to expand its internet-service and residential-market activities through the purchase of an established New Zealand internet service provider.

  Action taken

  CallPlus acquired Orcon in June 2014.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition added Orcon to CallPlus's portfolio of telecommunications and residential internet brands.

  Source

• 2017

  CallPlus rebranded as Vocus Communications[1]CallPlusen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Other

  CallPlus was rebranded to Vocus Communications after the M2 Group and Vocus Communications combination created the broader Vocus Group telecommunications structure.

• 2015

  M2 Group acquired CallPlus[1]CallPlusen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  M2 Group acquired CallPlus as part of the company's progression into a larger telecommunications group.

• 2014

  CallPlus acquired Orcon[1]CallPlusen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  CallPlus purchased internet service provider Orcon, expanding its presence in New Zealand's residential and internet-services market.

1. 1CallPlusen.wikipedia.org