Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Telecom adds gigawifi to hotspot network
Telecom NZ is about to push the accelerator on its nationwide network of wi-fi hotspots.
Later this year it will add 1 Gbps sites in high traffic locations to the 800 hotspot network based on public telephone boxes.
The company says
the so-called 'hero' sites will mainly be in places like
railways stations, airport terminals and other places where
demand for data connections is likely to be
high.
Gigawifi coming to a town near you
In addition Telecom NZ will reward a number of towns with the fast wi-fi hotspots as the prizes in a competition similar to the company's former network division Chorus' Gigatown promotion.
Details of the competition have not yet been
decided, but it will coat-tail the GigaTown brand as
GigaWiFi. The competition will be used to create more user
interest in the company's wi-fi network.
Giga-this, giga-that
As the name suggests, the two campaigns are closely linked.
Ed Hyde from Telecom Digital Ventures - the business unit handling the company's wi-fi hotspot network says the two are complimentary because wi-fi expand's the reach of a fibre network.
He says the
benefits run both ways: "Having good fibre connectivity is
essential to realising the full potential of
WiFi.”
Singing from the Chorus song sheet
Chorus's Gigatown promotion has done much to build user interest in the fibre network the company is building in parts of urban New Zealand. It also gives Chorus a positive news story at a time the company is coming in for criticism over the so-called 'copper tax'.
Telecom NZ says the GigaTown winner will also get a GigaWiFi hotspot.
Until recently mobile carriers around the world regarded public wi-fi networks as a competitive threat. Two things changed that. First, carriers realised wi-fi does a great job offloading heavy duty data traffic.
Second, wi-fi is a relatively low-cost network add-on. Hotspots are considerably cheaper to equip than cell towers and requires less planning paperwork. Cellular equipment makers are now adding wi-fi to their kit.
Telecom NZ says the 1 Gbps wi-fi delivers data much faster than existing hotspots. It uses fifth generation wi-fi, the 802.11ac standard which is backwards compatible with existing 802.11n devices. Some recent high-end smartphones - although not iPhones - support the new standard and will be able to use the faster speeds.
[digitl 2014]
Bill Bennett
Freelance journalist.
Auckland-based Bill Bennett writes technology and business stories that are directly relevant to New Zealand readers.
His emphasis is on telecommunications, but he also covers other aspects of technology and business. You can find his features in the New Zealand Herald and hear him regularly on RNZ Nine to Noon and the NZ Tech Podcast.
Bennett's The Download Weekly newsletter is published every Friday. You can sign up for it here.
If you want to support his work, you can make a donation to his PressPatron account.
Binoy Kampmark: AUKUS - Flawed And Sinking
Martin LeFevre - Meditations: The Darkest Hour Before Dawn Or The Sum Of All Dark Ages?
Gordon Campbell: On Justin Trudeau’s Demise, In A Global Context
Ramzy Baroud: Israel Destroyed Gaza ‘For Generations To Come’ And The World Stayed Silent
Binoy Kampmark: Detained Without Charge - Eleven Yemenis Leave Guantánamo
Ramzy Baroud: The War Criminal 'Victim' - Netanyahu’s Inevitable Fate