The government has selected Telecom New Zealand and Vodafone New Zealand to deliver broadband services across New Zealand’s rural areas, as part of the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI).
The RBI aims to provide fibre to 97% of rural schools and a minimum…
The government has selected Telecom New Zealand and Vodafone New Zealand to deliver broadband services across New Zealand’s rural areas, as part of the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI).
The RBI aims to provide fibre to 97% of rural schools and a minimum 5Mbps broadband service to 80% of rural households within six years.
Back in November, the companies said that they would invest in their own networks to expand their fibre and wireless infrastructures to those areas.
In early December, the New Zealand government shortlisted three of the five RBI proposals submitted in mid-November: Torotoro Waea, FX Networks/ OpenGate and Telecom New Zealand/Vodafone New Zealand.
In a statement released today, Telecom NZ explained: “The Telecom Vodafone bid is based on working together at the infrastructure level to minimise unnecessary infrastructure duplication, and both companies will look to continue this collaborative approach with other parties.”
According to a statement released in November by the Communications and Information Technology Ministry, the contract is worth approximately NZ$285m (US$219m). Construction is expected to start by mid-2011.
