TCF applauds the completion of the Rural Broadband Initiative

The New Zealand Telecommunications Forum (TCF) welcomes the successful completion of the Government's Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI), which ensures better connectivity for hundreds of thousands of people.

"There is no doubt that faster rural broadband delivers a raft of opportunities and benefits, including access to better health and education services. Improved connectivity also helps reduce geographic and social isolation for those living and working in rural areas," says Geoff Thorn, CEO of the TCF.

“The telecommunications industry has funded the roll out, through a combination of investment and a contribution from the Telecommunications Development Levy which is collected from the industry by the Government. This investment by the industry is contributing to a world class network being available to New Zealanders, which is to be applauded."

"During the last five years, the RBI has been a major project and the second phase, with planning currently underway, will extend the reach of fast broadband even further into rural communities in the coming years," he says.

The RBI is necessary, because Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) isn't feasible for every rural community. In October 2015, the Government announced its aspirational targets for rural connectivity that include 99 percent of New Zealanders having access to 50Mbps peak speeds, with the remaining one percent accessing 10 Mbps. These are in addition to the Government's target of 90 percent of the population having 4G mobile coverage.

-ENDS-

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