UFB: schools, hospitals, businesses and 45,000 homes in year one

The government's Ultra Fast Broadband initiative (UFB) will see fibre rolled out to more than 50,000 premises around New Zealand in the next twelve months including schools, hospitals and businesses, says Communications and IT Minister Steven Joyce.

Chorus, with which the government has partnered to deliver 70% of the UFB to much of New Zealand, has today released plans which will see fibre rolled out in the next twelve months to parts of Ashburton, Auckland, Blenheim, Dunedin, Masterton, Napier, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Taupo and Wellington.

The roll out of fibre is already underway in Whangarei, where the Crown has partnered with Northpower, and in Hamilton, Wanganui and Tauranga where Ultra Fast Broadband Limited is the partner. Planning is still underway for the Canterbury deployment with Enable Network.

Together, over the eight and a half year roll out, the Crown's partnerships will deliver around 25,000 kilometres of fibre around the country, enabling connections to about 1.1 million homes, over 100,000 businesses, in excess of 1,300 schools and over 6,000 medical facilities.

Mr Joyce says the deployment plans released today show excellent progress on a project that will ultimately transform the New Zealand economy.

"The ultra fast broadband initiative is central to the government's economic growth plan. This initiative will see 75% of New Zealanders connected to broadband speeds of 100Mbps or better. That's about 50 times the speeds currently available in our major centres.

"The UFB will see us leap frog a wide range of international competitors, improve our connectivity and drive economic growth.

"The deployment of this new digital technology will be the most transformative infrastructure project New Zealand has seen since reticulated electricity. It will change the way we work, the way we learn, the way we receive healthcare and the way we live our lives."

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