COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM the popular Geekzone forum were invited to participate and suggest ideas for the modem which were then discussed and critiqued. Initial discussions focused on technical specs and ideas, followed by a voting process to decide which features could potentially make the grade.
Telecom New Zealand initially intended to examine the results and confirm the necessary details before putting a prototype into production later this year, however since discussions began decided it might be more practical to produce a number of devices.
Chris Quin, Telecom Retail CEO, said if the
Geekzone contributors had their way the modem cost "a million dollars", making it a possibility they would instead produce two or three gateway products of varying cost.
An effort to collaborate with consumers directly about what they want in a modem is unprecedented in NZ, and Geekzone community manager Mauricio Freitas says crowd-sourcing is a good approach to take. "It is exciting to see a large company such as Telecom NZ tapping into consumers to help define a new product and I hope the users see the benefit in this approach."
Chris Thompson, head of consumer marketing at Telecom, said it makes sense
to ask consumers exactly what they want from their products. "Early adopters, or 'power-users' offer great insights to the demands that our wider customer base will be making in the future," he said.
"Telecom staff have been working closely with Geekzone for a number of years, participating in a flourishing community of tech-enthusiasts who are always forthright with their thoughts and opinions and this is the natural next-step."
Although the price tag is yet to be determined, expect to see the new modem in production later this year.
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