Wireless Broadband arrives in Apiti

Wireless Broadband arrives in Apiti

Media Release

18 February 2013

Mobile coverage and broadband options just got better for residents in Apiti, as Vodafone will today, switch on a newly built cell site under the Governments Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI).

A 25 metre monopole tower provides service to over 175 households in the area. The service, with urban comparable pricing, delivers not only mobile coverage, but wireless broadband via a high performance modem, adding a WiFi network into the home. Phone calls can also be made through this service by plugging an existing landline phone directly into the modem, removing the need for a landline connection. Customers can port their existing landline number to this new service.

There are six new RBI sites in the Manawatu district – along with Apiti, new towers have been already built at Bunnythorpe, Kimbolton and Sanson – and Feilding East and Himatangi Beach are to follow. This will provide new mobile coverage for over 3500 homes and businesses. Vodafone confirms five of its existing cell sites in the area – Feilding, Himatangi, Awahuri, Bulls and Rata - will be upgraded to deliver the wireless broadband service before 2015.

Vodafone’s Business Development Manager Simon Bailey says the new cell site brings greater options to the community, with households and businesses now having choice in broadband service.

“Switching to wireless broadband can provide a consistent and reliable service to residents It also offers the rural community the opportunity to increase production and monitoring through machine to machine automation,” he said.

An additional benefit of RBI for rural communities is the extension of mobile coverage to include 4,500km of rural New Zealand roads, which until now have been without.

“This is a massive benefit for rural communities like Apiti, in dealing with emergencies, transport logistics, road safety and other real life circumstances that have been hampered by limited coverage,” said Bailey.

Under the five year RBI plan, Vodafone will upgrade 387 existing cell towers and build a further 154 new towers in rural areas all over New Zealand. The government is funding the civil construction costs of these new sites which are designed to accommodate Vodafone equipment and that of other mobile and wireless operators. 33 new sites have been built so far, and an additional 135 have been upgraded.

Customers can find out if this service will be available at their address by checking online at

www.vodafone.co.nz/rural-broadband.

ENDS

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