It has been underscored how difficult and challenging it is for many rural people in New Zealand to gain access to high-quality, dependable broadband, and how difficult this had impacted their lives. Businesses cannot function without a reliable internet connection and children cannot be educated from home when necessary.
Fibre is the best broadband available in New Zealand, with the fastest speeds and it makes no difference how far the destination is from the source. The country’s ultimate goal is to have comprehensive fibre-to-home coverage.
According to the chair of a wireless internet service provider in New Zealand, which represents specialist internet providers who serve many rural users, access to the internet is now an essential part of daily life. He noted that the 37 companies that comprise the group are all experts in using wireless internet technology to reach areas where phone cable and fibre do not reach.
“We already have more than 75,000 New Zealanders connected to the internet through the huge range of towers built across rural Aotearoa. Our members know who they can reach and how to get a signal to people using some very sophisticated technology,” he added.
While New Zealand looks to put the economy on the path to recovery, we must ensure our rural communities aren’t left behind. Having broadband services means tamariki can do remote learning from home, and whānau will have better access to information and business and employment opportunities.
– Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister
The government has made a significant push to collaborate with their members to bring fast broadband to everyone through the Rural Broadband Initiative. This has aided in the funding of towers to extend signals into previously unimaginable locations.
Last year, the government allocated up to $15 million in savings from the Ultra-fast Broadband initiative to improve rural broadband capacity by:
- upgrading some existing rural mobile towers,
- upgrading wireless backhaul, which connects remote sites to central networks, and
- installing external antennae on households to improve coverage.
This investment is said to bring broadband services to rural households that do not currently have internet access, and it means remote communities will be much better prepared to resume operations once the lockdown is lifted.
“With the impacts of COVID-19 seeing increasing numbers of New Zealanders using broadband for education, work and maintaining links with friends and whānau, connectivity is more important than ever before,” said the Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister of the country.
In addition, the Government’s goal is to provide access to 99.8% of New Zealanders. While that work is ongoing, some households in remote areas require consistent access to broadband services in light of COVID-19, particularly those with school-age children who require internet access for remote learning. The project expedites capacity upgrades to meet increased internet demand in areas where the need is most pressing.
OpenGov Asia reported that a New Zealand network company has made its uncapped wireless broadband product available to more than 500,000 households, bringing uncapped connectivity to approximately 1.2 million New Zealand addresses in urban and rural areas. The expansion means that nearly two-thirds of New Zealand addresses, including more than 10% of rural households, can now stream their favourite shows and music, connect with loved ones, and work from home without having to worry about data caps.
According to the company’s Product Director, the company has a long-term goal of providing unrestricted capacity to all New Zealanders and is investing more than $100 million per year in its mobile network to make that goal a reality. “We are really happy to be able to take this next step toward uncapping New Zealand. We know Kiwis’ appetite for data is growing and as we continue upgrading and building more cell sites to increase capacity, we’re making uncapped broadband available to as many people as possible,” she said.
Instead of relying on physical infrastructure like fibre or copper to the home, wireless broadband connects customers to the nearest cell tower. It has the same speed as a 4G mobile connection and is usually faster than ADSL broadband, making it especially appealing to many rural customers who do not have access to fibre.
