By PULLAR-STRECKER Tom TELECOM promised to improve rural telecommunications services during last-minute negotiations on the division of the company.

By VAUGHAN, Gareth Spontaneous applause at a telecommunications industry conference for Telecom's chief executive? Believe it or not this did happen at the Digital Future Summit in Auckland yesterday.

INTERNETNZ says it has been unable to decide whether the Telecommunications Service Obligation should be extended to guarantee access to broadband as well as phone lines and free local calling.

Former Telecom chief executive Theresa Gattung has sold 167,421 Telecom shares for 450c each. The shares were part of performance and share rights packages, from her eight years as chief executive. She left Telecom in June with $5.12m in cash and $287,000 in unpaid annual leave.

By HOYLE, Jon Telecom's new chief executive officer Paul Reynolds starts work today and faces an uphill struggle to rebuild consumers' confidence in the Telecom brand, the Consumers' Institute says.