Banmoco News As It Happens

Usual competitors Telecom and Vodafone are among five final bidders for the New Zealand’s Government’s $300 million broadband project.

The final five bids for the broadband initiative, which will see high speed internet in rural places that haven’t had access before, have been received well by the Government, as was confirmed by its communications minister Steven Joyce after bidding for the day closed.
The two companies, Telecom and Vodafone, have told how they proposed to combine their resources on building new, open access infrastructures to provide high speed broadband in the country’s rural areas while using a wide range of technologies. Doing this would help extend Telecom’s existing infrastructure by over 3000km and take it to key rural parts that includes both schools and hospitals as Vodafone would be building 154 new mobile towers in the background.

Both fibre and wireless technology would be made available on an equal basis to access those seeking the service and wholesale customers, which would allow any party to offer retail services over the new and upcoming infrastructure. Already, Mobile phone firm 2degrees has rushed to say that it would be seeking assurances that the government’s public funding would be used in the best interests of the public and not just with the vision of simply creating high speed internet in mind.

Before reaching a decision, the Government will have to evaluate all the proposals that have been put forward over the course of the next four months with an overall decision expected to be made before Christmas.