CallPlus offers free WiFi service for Auckland

MEDIA STATEMENT - CallPlus offers free WiFi service for Auckland City businesses

Auckland, Friday 3rd August 2007 - CallPlus has responded to a Request for Information (RFI) from Auckland City by offering to build a 1,000 strong WiFi hotspot network for Auckland City.

“The RFI did not go far enough in helping to build a world-class wireless network, offering little more than access to council sites, power and facilitation. I despair that we will be left further behind than ever” says CallPlus Chairman Malcolm Dick.

We are seeing Pacific Rim cities such as Sydney and Singapore committing large investments to build sophisticated WiFi networks as part of their essential infrastructure, but only the weakest of initiatives are coming out of Auckland City” he continued.CallPlus has put down a challenge to network operators by offering Auckland City free wireless access between any Auckland business websites and up to 1,000 WiFi hotspots for an Auckland City outlay of no more than $2.5million, and an undertaking by CallPlus to run the service for a minimum of 5 years.

“This is a no-risk option for Auckland City for a fraction of the cost overruns on this year’s infrastructure projects. If any other supplier is willing to guarantee such a network build for less then we will gladly support their bid, as our aim is to get Auckland up to speed compared to our neighbouring cities” challenges Dick.

Singapore, by comparison, is investing some $16,000 per WiFi hotspot to build a 5,000 Access Point network.

In support of the CallPlus’ proposal Heart of Auckland City Chief executive Alex Swney said “We support any initiative to help make the Auckland City CBD a world-class destination to visit for business or leisure, and wireless broadband infrastructure is an important part of this development. Any proposal that helps achieve this for minimal cost and at no financial risk will get our support. Council is infamous for accepting seemingly gold plated offers and even more famous for accepting subsequent hefty price hikes. Here is an offer that protects ratepayers and also marks a big stride in broadband access."

ENDS

[Enclosed: PDF: Executive Summary of CallPlus’ RFI response]

ABOUT CALLPLUS
Established in 1996, CallPlus is New Zealand’s third largest fixed line, voice and internet company offering a full range of communication services in both business and residential markets through its CallPlus and Slingshot brands. The company has a strong focus on innovation, service delivery and building customer value which has contributed to the significant customer and revenue growth over the last five years. For more information visit www.callplus.co.nz and www.slingshot.co.nz

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