Telecom and Vodafone today announced we have submitted a joint response to the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI), in which the companies will combine their resources to build new, open access network infrastructure for the provision of broadband in rural areas using a range of technologies.
You can read the Telecom and Vodafone media statement here.
The RBI seeks to provide fibre to 97 percent of rural schools and a minimum 5Mbps broadband service to 80 percent of rural households within six years. It also aims to provide priority users with access to fibre-based broadband services.
The proposed solution announced today will meet the requirements of the scheme through the extension of Telecom’s existing fibre infrastructure to key rural organisations, including schools and hospitals, and an expanded Telecom XT and Vodafone wireless infrastructure that harnesses the power of this fibre to deliver high speed broadband services wirelessly.
At the heart of the proposal is the principle of open access. Both fibre and wireless components will be available on an equivalent basis to access seekers and wholesale customers, allowing any party to offer a retail service over the new infrastructure. This means that rural customers will have not only faster data services but also a much wider choice of technologies and suppliers for these services.
Both Telecom and Vodafone will also be making additional investments in their networks in the areas covered by the RBI scheme to offer broadband services to their customers.
The Ministry of Economic Development is running the bid process for the RBI, and a decision by the Minister is expected to be made by Christmas.
Benefit for Gen-i clients
The rural sector powers the New Zealand economy, generating 25 per cent of the country’s GDP and 65 per cent of export sales.
However, the sector faces increased pressure to meet compliance requirements, operate sustainably, ensure business continuity and improve productivity in a competitive global and consumer-driven marketplace.
Gen-i’s rural market vision is to provide New Zealand's rural and regional companies with integrated technology solutions nationwide that enable economic growth and bring prosperity to the New Zealand economy.
Today’s bid proposal, if successful, will help accelerate this outcome.
We’ll work with rural and regional businesses to develop ICT solutions that leverage this broadband infrastructure to create sustainable ecosystems that accelerate information exchange up and down primary industry value chains.
One example is RuralZone, our cloud computing solution that enables users from across the rural supply chain to access, share and use information to increase productivity, efficiency and collaboration in their sectors.
RuralZone allows farmers, retailers, transporters and processors from all facets of New Zealand’s rural market to access information like animal weights, transport times, market pricing and so on, if they have signed up as a partner to the information.
We believe RuralZone will enable economic growth and help the rural industry develop intellectual property for exporting worldwide.
Another Gen-i solution that leverages the rural sector’s access to high-speed broadband services is Re:Gen. This technology, developed in 2007, calculates soil moisture, soil temperature and rainfall (among other things) on individual farms and provides farmers with precise instructions on managing effluent.
Eventually, the information stored in Re:Gen will allow farmers to accurately predict the amount they should spend on effluent and budget for nutrients in the long term.
We’ll continue to consult with rural businesses and stakeholders to identify and develop ICT solutions that address the key business issues they face.
Our RuralZone independent Advisory Board members – with deep links into their local farming, forestry and horticultural communities - will also play a key role in ensuring that we meet the sector’s needs.
If you have any questions, or want to discuss this further, please contact your Gen-i Client Manager.