Two Central towns are on the list to get a faster rollout of 5G coverage thanks to newly signed contracts between the government and major telecommunications network operators. 

Minister for the digital economy and communications Ginny Andersen announced on May 12 the deal with Spark, 2Degrees and One New Zealand (formerly Vodafone) to deliver a faster roll-out of 5G services to around 55 rural and regional towns and provide mobile wireless coverage to further rural black spot areas. 

“The government is committed to ensuring that everyone in New Zealand can get access to good mobile wireless coverage –no matter where you are,” Ginny said.

Ginny Andersen

“By working together with our major mobile network operators many more Kiwis will gain access to 5G services quicker, which is expected to provide faster data transmission speeds and capacity compared to 4G. 

“This deal is a huge step forward for rural New Zealand when it comes to connectivity.” 

The agreement builds on other government investment, including the $60 million allocated through Budget 2022 for rural connectivity improvements, as well as the $47 million of rural capacity upgrades that commenced in February 2022.

In return for the allocated 80MHz spectrum in the 3.5Hz band (sufficient for the operation of nation-wide 5G networks), the three operators will each pay the government $24 million between 2023 and 2025. 

This funding will be used to pay the Rural Connectivity Group to expand mobile coverage into areas of rural New Zealand which would not otherwise have been provided with coverage commercially. 

For more information see the governments’ media release.