Better wireless internet way for coastal Taranaki
Coastal Taranaki residents will soon have access to faster, better quality wireless internet thanks to a significant upgrade of a transmitting tower on the Kaitake Range.
Close to $1 million is to be spent on the wireless broadband tower at the Boars Head site on the Kaitake Range as part of the government’s recently announced Rural Capacity Upgrade initiative.
Matt Harrison, founder of rural internet provider Primo, said the site, named after the abandoned gold mine on the range, was key to the company’s wireless broadband network around Coastal Taranaki.
The project would see new fibre put up to the transmitter, mains power added, and an upgrade to the wireless technologies for better coverage and capacity.
‘‘We are putting in new Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology, which can get through trees better and into the nooks and crannies that Coastal Taranaki has plenty of,’’ Harrison said.
The project is expected to be completed before winter.
‘‘Having fibre running to the site will give us more than 10 times the capacity than we’ve got now and that will give coastal people betterquality said.
‘‘It also means we can do more things like broadcast radio stations from New Plymouth right around the Coast.
‘‘We do that already for Te Korimako o Taranaki and there are plans for another station soon.’’
Harrison said the Boars Head site was also a key part of providing LoRa (long range) coverage into the Kaitake Range and surrounding areas.
‘‘LoRa is used by the regional council and the Predator Free 2050 Project for monitoring its pest traps, and the future possibilities of this technology are limitless,’’ he said. internet,’’
Harrison