The Telecom Smartphone Network Reaches Southbridge

MEDIA RELEASE

5 February 2013

The Telecom Smartphone Network Reaches Southbridge

Locals and visitors to Southbridge, between Christchurch and Ashburton, now have a choice of mobile provider after Telecom installed equipment onto a local site.

Telecom has invested over $150k in Southbridge to enable those in the area to access voice, mobile broadband and text services. This is all over Telecom’s Smartphone Network - the New Zealand mobile network built specifically for smart phones.

The new mobile equipment is part of Telecom's continued commitment to rural communities to make a world-class mobile network accessible to more New Zealanders. This installation will improve coverage and capacity in and around Southbridge, to the west as far as the Rakaia River, and six to seven kilometres to the south towards the coast.

Emma Blackmore Telecom Community Relations Manager says, “It’s important New Zealand communities are able to access mobile services and this investment in Southbridge will ensure those who live, work and travel through this area will be able to make the most of what the Telecom Smartphone Network can offer.

Emma says the role of telecommunications in rural New Zealand has become an increasingly important service, with people becoming more reliant on their mobile phones as their primary form of connectivity.

“Fast broadband and mobile services are vitally important for the success of rural businesses, education, health providers, and in bringing rural communities together,” she says.

In the past six months in the Canterbury region, Telecom has also built two new cell sites in Sumner and installed equipment on a local site in Leithfield.

To find out more about the Telecom Smartphone Network and the coverage in your area, please visit www.telecom.co.nz/coverage, or visit your local store at 250 East Street, Ashburton.

ENDS

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