Gigatown Phase Two Switches On

Dunedin (Wednesday, 25 February 2014) – Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull is welcoming the beginning of Dunedin’s transformation to a fully functioning Gigatown, with 1Gbps broadband speeds being made available by Chorus this morning. Already there is strong demand with hundreds of businesses and residents lined up to switch over to the faster speeds.

Representatives from Chorus, the Dunedin City Council (DCC), the Digital Office, the Digital Community Trust, ISP providers and about 60 invited guests will celebrate the official switch on at a ceremony in the Dunedin Centre at 9.30am.

Mr Cull says having won the Gigatown competition, the city now needs to make full use of the benefits gigaspeed broadband offers to Dunedin’s communities, businesses, educational institutions and its residents in general.

“The DCC has put a budget of $250,000 for implementing Gigatown into its draft Long Term Plan, to provide support for the Trust to co-ordinate and lead the work that is needed. It was a combined community effort that won us Gigatown and it will be off the back of that community engagement and excitement that we will continue to work on our goal of making Dunedin one of the world’s great small cities.”

Making Dunedin a fully operational Gigatown has involved developing a plan of implementation in partnership with Chorus and the Trust.

Mr Cull says after celebrating Dunedin’s win, and with Christmas and New Year now behind us, it is time to get the real party started in terms of delivering the city plan.

“The switch on is the first part of a scheduled programme of work ahead of us. We will be opening a Gigatown HQ in the next few months and then working with the community to ensure the plan adapts to the needs of the whole community.”

The first four projects of the plan are engaging the community, increasing connectivity, growing Dunedin’s economy by creating high value jobs and providing city-wide wifi access to Gig internet for students and the education sector. But Mr Cull says there is much more work planned ahead.

“Winning Gigatown adds another fibre to Council’s economic development and community development strategies! That is very important for those strategies as it will help the greater Dunedin community to deal with the tyranny of distance. It will allow our people to do business and to conduct their affairs with the world as if they were right next door.”

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