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Government also aims to reduce mobile coverage black spots on major roads, at popular tourist destinations.
New Zealand’s government has launched the next phase of its Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI), which aims to provide 50 Mbps services to 99% of the population by 2025.
The government is also targeting mobile coverage black spots on major roads and at popular tourist destinations under its Mobile Black Spot Fund (MBSF). NZ$100 million (€65.3 million) has been allocated to RBI2, and NZ$50 million to the MBSF.
"My aim is to provide high-speed broadband to the greatest number of under-served rural New Zealanders within the funding available, and give regional communities access to high-speed broadband. We also want to improve the reach of mobile services to support safety on state highways and enhance the visitor experience for tourists," explained communications minister Amy Adams, in a statement last week.
A request for proposals (RFP) has been issued that includes both RBI2 and the MBSF. The RFP is open to any technology able to meet a set of preferred user outcomes, the government said. In the case of the MBSF, there is a minimum requirement to provide 3G voice services, with 4G preferred in tourist areas.
The RFP closes on 2 February 2017, and the first contracts are due to be awarded by next June.
"We’ve set an ambitious goal of ensuring that by 2025, 99% of New Zealanders will have access to broadband peak speeds of at least 50 Mbps, and everyone will have at least 10 Mbps," Adams said. "We’re interested in seeing how proposals for delivering coverage under the RBI2 and MBSF programmes show an upgrade path in line with this vision."
