UFB and RBI projects ahead of schedule

More than 300,000 end users can now connect to the Government’s Ultra Fast Broadband (UFB) network, according to a recent announcement from Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams.

During the last three months of the financial year, more than 129,000 end users in 28 towns and cities across New Zealand gained access to ultra-fast fiber Internet network. Also, under the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI), about 149,000 homes and businesses in rural areas benefit of faster broadband, 1700 schools are able to connect to fiber Internet and 33 of the most remote rural schools in the country have access to broadband capable of peak speeds of at least 10 megabits per second.

Chorus upgraded 91 roadside cabinets with fiber over the past three months, under the RBI. The fast development of the broadband network in New Zealand led to a jump of 95% new customers signing up to a service under the UFB program, while uptake among RBI users has reached 38 per cent.

Amy Adams said that the target for both initiatives has been exceeded. Thanks to the 1.35 billion Government contribution and further investment by partners, 75 per cent of New Zealanders will have access optic fiber technology to the premise by the end of 2019.

For more details refer to this report: Year_two_broadband_deployment_update