# Orcon Limited > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Orcon_Limited > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Orcon_Limited.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orcon_Limited > Source revision: 1357087538 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) For other uses, see [ORCON (disambiguation)](/source/ORCON_(disambiguation)). **Orcon Limited** (trading as **Orcon**) is a [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand) telecommunications company. It is New Zealand's fourth largest [Internet service provider](/source/Internet_service_provider) (ISP). In 2013 it had a 5% share of the fixed line market.[1] ## History Seeby Woodhouse founded Orcon by starting a small [business](/source/Business) (Orcon Group Limited) while at university in 1994.[2] The startup provided computer advice and support, as well as selling early-model [cell-phones](/source/Cell_phones) and accessories. Demand led the business to expand its scope to include PC upgrade and repair services. Orcon remained focused on the local market on [Auckland](/source/Auckland)'s North Shore. By 1996 the business had expanded its range of products and sphere of operations. It began distributing computer accessories and supplies to small-business owners and to [home](/source/Home_computer) users throughout the Auckland region and to other parts of New Zealand as required. In 1997 Orcon Group commenced as an ISP with three dial-in 33.6k [modems](/source/Modems). Through the start-up phase it focused on the no-frills end of the market, aiming at skilled and technically minded customers, with pricing at half the price of the cheapest competition. In 2002 Orcon became a major ISP in the residential market; it launched a new web portal and undertook marketing initiatives to grow the customer base that positive [word-of-mouth](/source/Word-of-mouth_marketing) had established. On 12 June 2007 [Kordia](/source/Kordia), a state-owned telecommunications company, purchased Orcon for NZ$24.3m, effectively nationalizing it. Seeby Woodhouse, an 80% stakeholder, made $19.44 million from the deal, while business-partner Mark Mackay pocketed $4.86 million.[citation needed] As of 2014 Orcon's main competitors included [Telecom](/source/Telecom_New_Zealand) and [Vodafone](/source/Vodafone_New_Zealand). In June 2014 the company was bought by [CallPlus](/source/CallPlus) (later [Vocus Group](/source/Vocus_Group)).[3] Vocus Group merged with [2degrees](/source/2degrees) in June 2022.[4] ## Local-loop unbundling Orcon issued a press release on 9 August 2007 stating that they had become the "first 100% kiwi owned telecommunications provider" to install equipment in the first unbundled Telecom exchange at [Ponsonby](/source/Ponsonby,_New_Zealand).[5] On 30 August 2007, Orcon released an additional press release to announce that they had successfully connected a trial customer at [ADSL2+](/source/ADSL2%2B) speeds to their DSLAM via [local-loop unbundling](/source/Local-loop_unbundling) (LLU).[6] In March 2008 Orcon launched their ADSL2+ service in parts of Auckland, becoming the first ISP to commercially provide ADSL2+ in New Zealand.[7][8] Orcon has been a key participant in recent years in New Zealand's LLU process, which is a rapid u-turn from past public statements by former chief executive Seeby Woodhouse. A Computerworld article from 2005 describing a joint letter by several ISPs to the [Commerce Commission](/source/Commerce_Commission) quotes Woodhouse as saying he did not sign the letter because he did not agree with the request for local loop unbundling.[9] With LLU, Woodhouse says, only the bigger players such as ihug (now Vodafone), TelstraClear (also now Vodafone),[10] and possibly [CallPlus](/source/CallPlus) (Slingshot) could afford to put their own equipment into the exchanges. ## Ultra-Fast Broadband Orcon was the first retailer to begin providing fibre as part of the Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) scheme.[11] In September 2011, Orcon announced that a group of Northland schools were set up for service, with Orcon delivering telecommunications over fibre in partnership with Orewa-based internet service provider Watchdog Corporation Ltd.[12] ## Genius Go In June 2013, Orcon launched Genius Go, a smartphone app that allows customers to make local 'landline' calls and receive calls to their home phone line via their smartphone, wherever they are in the world.[13] ## See also - [Internet in New Zealand](/source/Internet_in_New_Zealand) ## References 1. Putt, Sarah (15 April 2013). ["Kordia sells Orcon to private investors"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130417064643/http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/kordia-sells-orcon-to-private-investors). *Computerworld*. Archived from [the original](http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/kordia-sells-orcon-to-private-investors) on 17 April 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013. 1. ["From start-up to SOE"](http://www.orcon.net.nz/about/article/from_start_up_to_soe). Orcon. 2007-06-11. Retrieved 2013-02-27. While still at university in 1994, Seeby started Orcon Group Limited [...] 1. Pullar-Strecker, Tom (20 June 2014). ["CallPlus expands after Orcon buy"](http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/10183224/CallPlus-expands-after-Orcon-buy). *Stuff*. Retrieved 20 June 2014. 1. ["Commission grants clearance for Vocus/2degrees merger"](https://comcom.govt.nz/news-and-media/media-releases/2022/commission-grants-clearance-for-vocus2degrees-merger). Commerce Commission. Retrieved 1 June 2022. 1. ["100% Kiwi-Owned Orcon Unbundles the Local Loop"](http://www.orcon.net.nz/media_releases/media_release/100_kiwi-owned_orcon_unbundles_the_local_loop/). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20070823212703/http://www.orcon.net.nz/media_releases/media_release/100_kiwi-owned_orcon_unbundles_the_local_loop/) 23 Aug 2007 at the Wayback Machine. 1. ["NZ's First Unbundled Line"](http://www.orcon.net.nz/informme/service,blog/category,19/item,426/). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20070911003008/http://www.orcon.net.nz/informme/service,blog/category,19/item,426/) 11 Sep 2007 at the Wayback Machine. 1. ["Orcon's "3x faster" broadband goes live"](http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=133878). [Newstalk ZB](/source/Newstalk_ZB). 13 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-16. 1. ["Orcon launches the first unbundled service in New Zealand!"](http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0803/S00223.htm). Scoop. 13 March 2008. Retrieved 2014-02-28. 1. ["ISPs formally complain to Commerce Commission"](http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/0/232444cffd9adc6ecc25703f0009b334). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20070927230456/http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/0/232444cffd9adc6ecc25703f0009b334) 27 Sep 2007 at the Wayback Machine. 1. ["Vodafone acquires TelstraClear"](http://www.vodafone.co.nz/telstraclear/). Vodafone. 1. ["Orcon first retailer on UFB network"](http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/5571084/Orcon-first-retailer-on-UFB-network). [Stuff.co.nz](/source/Stuff.co.nz). 6 September 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 1. ["Whangarei schools first to plug into UFB"](http://idealog.co.nz/news/2011/09/whangarei-schools-first-plug-ufb). Idealog. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 1. ["App allows landline calls using mobile"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160324054214/http://www.newshub.co.nz/business/app-allows-landline-calls-using-mobile-2013061912). [TV3](/source/TV3_(New_Zealand)). 19 June 2013. Archived from [the original](http://www.newshub.co.nz/business/app-allows-landline-calls-using-mobile-2013061912) on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 2013-06-19. ## External links - [Orcon homepage](http://www.orcon.net.nz/) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Orcon Limited](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orcon_Limited) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orcon_Limited?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.