Clear Communications commenced leased line operations in January 1991. On 12 February an agreement was signed with Transpower to use their fibre optic system in the South Island and seven days later, Minister of Communications Maurice Williamson, made the historic first call on the new network between Wellington and Auckland, using New Zealand Rail's fibre optic cable. The new entrant was able to offer toll service bills charged in steps of one-tenth of a minute. Telecom's lowest charge step was one minute.