One New Zealand Closer To Blasting Off With Coverage Like Never Before

With SpaceX reaching the significant milestone of successfully launching more than 100 Starlink Direct to Cell Satellites in orbit in July, One New Zealand customers are even closer to coverage like never before.

This brand-new satellite technology will provide coverage to all of New Zealand on eligible 4G VoLTE mobile devices where there is line of sight to the sky, and up to 12 nautical miles out to sea, complementing our award-winning mobile network, filling in the roughly 40% of the country which currently is outside of mobile coverage, mainly due to challenging and isolated geography and the costs of doing so.

Tony Baird, Chief Technology Officer, says “I’m super excited about this new technology and its potential, including incredible safety benefits for New Zealanders. With SpaceX surpassing the milestone of 100 Starlink Direct to Cell satellites in orbit, we’re closer to being the first telco in New Zealand to provide a comprehensive mobile coverage solution, effectively ending mobile blackspots, where there is line of sight to the sky.

“This will be awesome for rural New Zealanders where building new cell services is expensive, difficult or both. Likewise, the coverage benefits for boaties are immense, and people who like to explore the more remote parts of Aotearoa such as our stunning national parks. In a search and rescue situation, this service might be the difference between life and death.

“We are one of a number of operators globally, who are working with SpaceX to deliver this service using our local radio spectrum to deliver enhanced mobile connectivity in our respective locations, with One New Zealand’s first customers set to experience this service before the end of the year.

“Just like all technology rollouts including 5G most recently, there will be a phased introduction. We will be sharing more information about this with our customers in the coming months.”

One New Zealand first announced it would be partnering with SpaceX as part of the company’s rebranding from Vodafone NZ, as another example of reinvesting into technology and services that matter to Kiwi.

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