Ultrafast broadband for Wanganui

The official deployment stage started on 12 August 2011 and more than 20% of the ultrafast broadband network is complete.

Wanganui District Council set out to be at the forefront of digital initiatives in New Zealand. Council could see the potential benefits of increased broadband capacity in Wanganui for businesses and families and the ways in which it will contribute to our community outcomes.

Since 2008 Council has been working to ensure that we will be one of the first places to make ultrafast broadband a reality for the whole community.

Waikato based WEL Networks was successful in winning a contract with Crown Fibre Holdings to partner in covering eight towns and cities in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki areas including Wanganui.

WEL Networks formed a special purpose company called Ultrafast Fibre Ltd which in turn created a partnership with Crown Fibre Holdings Ltd. Ultrafast Fibre Ltd is what we call the local fibre company. They are working in partnership with Crown Fibre Holdings, the Government agency which is managing the $1.3B project to deliver ultrafast broadband to the door of 75 percent of the New Zealand population by the end of 2019.

For Wanganui $35M is being invested to build the broadband infrastructure.

Potential benefits of ultrafast broadband

In business
Extending the reach of broadband services tends to be strongly linked to increasing business productivity and economic growth. World Bank analysis published in 2009 suggests that investment in broadband infrastructure has the greatest effect on nationwide productivity of any form of telecommunications.

In schools
New Zealand schools that are already accessing fibre report a range of benefits such as greater engagement by students and improved learning outcomes, especially in literacy; more opportunity to create, collaborate and connect online; a greater range of subject choices for students via distance learning; as well as more effective assessment and administrative practices.

In health
Potential uses of UFB include tele-health technologies which allow patients to self-monitor their health in the home with appropriate medical oversight; electronic patient health records which are securely stored and universally accessible to authorised medical practitioners; and the electronic transfer of advanced medical images such as those used for radiology and pathology.

Read more about what's happening in Wanganui

Click here to read a range of articles produced by the Business Group of the Wanganui Digital Leaders Forum.