Media Release

22 December 2016

Great Barrier Island gets speedier 4G internet

Key facts

• Spark has now upgraded both of its Great Barrier Island mobile sites to 4G

• Last summer Spark saw an 84% year-on-year increase in mobile data use at the Claris mobile site over the holiday period.

In anticipation of an increase in data use this summer, Spark has switched on a 4G mobile service at both Claris and Tryphena on Great Barrier Island, making it even easier for Kiwis to share their summer adventures via Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.

Residents and visitors alike have a strong appetite for data, with an 84% year-on-year increase in data use on Spark’s Claris mobile site over the holiday period, 23 December – 7 January, from 2014/2015 to 2015/2016, while the Tryphena site saw an increase of 64% over the same period.

Spark expects this year to be even bigger, and has brought 4G on the 700MHz spectrum to the island to improve mobile services.

Spark’s General Manager of Networks, Colin Brown, says the company is gearing up for this stronger growth as people share more of their adventures on the island.

“We want to help Kiwis have an ‘endless summer’ by keeping them connected in more places this festive season, and giving them another excuse to stay away on holiday just that little bit longer.

“The huge increases in data use over the summer period last year shows there’s strong demand for these services on Great Barrier Island, and our network upgrades will keep people connected to friends and family, giving them the ability to share all the amazing outdoor experiences the island has to offer – great fishing, stunning beaches, and so much more,” says Brown.

Nationwide upgrades:

To ensure customers right across the country can stay connected to their friends and families throughout the busy summer months Spark has worked hard in the last couple of months to improve its mobile network in time for Christmas to cater for the expected increase in demand for mobile data.

In the last three months Spark has delivered 4G upgrades to more than 100 cell sites and there are 7 new cell sites in popular holiday locations including Taupo Bay, Pataua (Northland) and Kaueranga Valley, Manaia, Te Puru (Coromandel), Mt Maunganui Apartments, and Bishops Bay (Wanaka).

In addition to this, Spark is rolling in cell sites on wheels to seven holiday locations across the country to improve capacity in the areas as they see huge increases in visitors.

The cell sites on wheels are being delivered to Mangawhai, Gisborne (campgrounds), Sandy Bay and Pohara Beach (Tasman District), two sites in Wanaka at Mt Iron and Rippon Estate and one at the Festival of Lights and Bowl of Brooklands in Taranaki.

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