Media Release

11October, 2013

VF_STK_RGB_9RNew RBI tower boosts broadband options and mobile coverage for Himatangi Beach

Vodafone has today switched on its newly built cell site at Himatangi Beach – part of the Government’s Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) – providing improved mobile coverage and broadband options for residents and visitors to the area.

The 40 metre lattice tower makes mobile coverage and wireless broadband available for the first time to 880 households in the area.

Other new towers have been built in the Manawatu District over the last two years, including at Bunnythorpe, Kimbolton, Sanson, Apiti and Feilding East, jointly providing mobile coverage and wireless broadband for over 3,500 homes and businesses. Vodafone will also upgrade four more of its existing five sites around Manawatu. Its site at Feilding has already been upgraded.

Vodafone’s Manawatu Business Development Manager, Simon Bailey, says there’s no question that access to high-speed broadband makes a significant difference to the lives of rural New Zealanders.

“The faster, 21MB wireless broadband modem introduced earlier this year, allows customers to experience speeds in excess of some city dwellers, and provides a consistent and reliable service – far superior to dial-up speeds.

“Having high-speed broadband not only enables the use of farming technology and agri-innovation, but employment and study options for rural youth. It also gives farmers the opportunity to explore machine-to-machine technology, used for example to track fertilizer spreading, rainfall, and frost temperatures, preventing waste and loss.”

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.

Simon adds: “This is a massive benefit for rural areas like Manawatu in dealing with emergencies, transport logistics, road safety and other real life circumstances previously hampered by limited coverage.”

Vodafone has ploughed ahead of the Government’s RBI targets, completing the construction of 60 new sites, and upgrades to 190, meaning new services for over 125,000 addresses in rural New Zealand. At the half way point of the 5 year programme the company has already secured the necessary agreements and consents for 65% of new sites.

Under the five year RBI plan, Vodafone will fund the upgrade of 387 existing cell towers and build a further 154 new towers in rural areas all over New Zealand to achieve government community coverage targets. The government is funding the civil construction costs of the new sites which are designed to accommodate Vodafone equipment and that of other mobile and wireless operators.

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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