In 1992 AAPIS was formed with News Corporation and John Fairfax Holdings as majority shareholders, with MCI and Todd Capital also possessing shares in the company.

The company began operating as the first significant competitor to Telstra in the long-distance voice and data markets in 1991, offering point to point microwave shots to AAP's private exchanges in Sydney and Melbourne, offering STD and International Long Distance services using the AAP's leased backbone, (which at the time was one of the largest private backbone networks in Australia) and terminating calls through a hybrid of its own network and various international and domestic interconnection agreements.

The company received a full carrier licence on 1 July 1997, and began a very successful campaign to build a residential client base that peaked at over 600,000 users.

Under Telecom New Zealand ownership, AAPT required significant reinvestment from its parent company, failing to provide any returns and written down in value by NZ$1.7 billion.

[2] In 2010, however, AAPT sold its consumer business to iiNet for over $60 million, resulting in a massive cash injection to Telecom New Zealand, who had posted a profit decline[citation needed] in the same quarter.

David's previous role was chief operating officer at AAPT, where he successfully completed the integration of the AAPT-PowerTel businesses and was instrumental in the product and backoffice re-engineering and simplification.