Piha gets Jetstream

Piha gets Jetstream

Remember the ad? A company executive is holidaying in Piha, she uses Telecom’s JetStream service to videoconference into a board meeting while her partner paints her nails under the desk.

Oops - hang on a minute, she couldn't have made that call. Telecom didn't have JetStream at Piha then.

Telecom is now pleased to be able to say that JetStream, Telecom's broadband service, is now available in Piha.

Head of Xtra's Internet and Online Marketing Chris Thompson said JetStream was available to 77% of Telecom customers in Piha.

"Piha has many creative residents who will benefit from being able to remote-work using broadband," Chris Thompson said.

"They will have the best of both worlds, lifestyle and a thriving business."

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey has long been an advocate for getting broadband access to as many residents as possible.

"The Council has a Waitakere On-Line project which sees it working with community groups and telecommunications providers like Telecom to improve services," he said.

"Telecom has really come on board with this.

"The Internet is the combustion engine of the 21st century. It has transformed our lives and the way we do business and it's great that Telecom is making this investment."

Mayor Harvey also acknowledged the work of the community based Waitakere eDemocracy Group (WeDG), which has been a key player behind the scenes working with Telecom.

"A public meeting in Piha several months ago, and their follow up work with Telecom helped to increase awareness of the demand for high-speed Internet in Waitakere City," said Mayor Harvey.

Telecom has been progressively rolling out Jetstream across Waitakere over the past five years.

Jetstream is now available on close to 67,000 customer lines in Waitakere. That is 91% Jetstream coverage for the region compared with national coverage of 84.8%.

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