We are undertaking a study into rural connectivity in New Zealand under section 9A of the Telecommunications Act 2001 (Act).
The goal of the study is to paint a detailed picture of the rural telecommunications market – the options available to rural communities, businesses and farmers, beyond the national UFB fibre footprint, and how these are performing.
Following the successful roll-out of fibre to 87% of the population, this study represents the beginning of a deeper dig into the state of connectivity in rural areas and how the remainder of New Zealanders are being impacted.
We’re launching this Rural Connectivity Study so that we have better information about the technologies available outside fibre areas – we want to be able to map the areas where they are offered, and who they are offered by. We are also interested in the pricing of these technologies, the performance of them, and what the consumer experience looks like.
This study will be a key vehicle for closing the information gap we have between urban and rural, and the outputs will also be helpful for policy makers, advocacy groups and rural consumers.
In order to build a comprehensive picture of rural connectivity in New Zealand, we will engage directly with a range of stakeholders including network operators and service providers, but also end-users, advocacy groups and government departments.
The Terms of Reference for the study have been published and outline the scope and the information we will need to collect.
Feedback on the Terms of Reference is now closed.
This view shows the latest stage in the project. Click on the circled dates to see details.
Navigate to other months, or scroll down, to see all stages.
Note: these dates are indicative only and are subject to change.
