Broadband in New Zealand
Introduction
Digital technologies have transformed our lives in recent years. Digital literacy has grown exponentially and digital devices have proliferated - personal computers, mobile phones, laptops and mobile wireless devices. The new digital environment is changing the way New Zealanders live, work and play. It is transforming the way we do business, stimulating creativity and innovation across our economy and society. It presents immense economic, environmental and social opportunities for us all - but there are new challenges ahead.
The expansion and development of broadband is a vital component of New Zealand’s economic sustainability. The Government established the Digital Strategy initiative in part to take on the challenge of ensuring that New Zealanders in both urban and rural areas will have access to faster broadband and better coverage.
Government Initiatives
Broadband Challenge
The Broadband Challenge was a $24.0 million fund announced in 2006 that aimed to support initiatives to bring broadband to areas that did not have it, and to provide high-speed fibre networks to urban areas. On an open access basis, the Challenge was geared towards improving the availability of broadband internet access by providing seed funding in order to bring network access to rural and poorly served communities, as well as to establish up to 15 Urban Fibre Networks.
Submitted applications were assessed against criteria that analysed the extent to which the proposed Projects were community-focused, had strong representative partnership and showed potential to be self sustaining after the completion of the funding process.
Five Broadband Challenge applications totalling $16.3 million for urban fibre network projects were approved, and five applicants in the remote and under-served category were invited to put forward detailed projects for funding totalling $1.5 million.
Broadband Investment Fund
Announced in 2008, the Broadband Investment Fund (BIF) is a $340 million fund to accelerate broadband. The BIF contains $325 million operating and $15 million capital funding available over a maximum of five years, and focuses on three critical areas:
- facilitating high speed broadband to businesses and entities such as municipalities, universities, schools and hospitals in urban centres;
- extending the reach of broadband into underserved regions; and
- improving the resilience of New Zealand’s international connections.
For more information about the BIF as well as the other digital development initiatives, please visit the Digital Strategy website.
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Archive
Previous broadband announcements and other documentation.
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