Cheaper broadband could be available for you

Spark has expanded its flexible “urban-priced” Unplan wireless broadband plan to cover 30,000 rural addresses, including parts of Kaitaia, the Hokianga, Kerikeri and Paihia.

Approximately 10 per cent of rural addresses would be able to access prices on a par with those in urban areas, reducing costs by up to $71 a month, making it one of the most affordable and highest-data-capped broadband plans available to rural New Zealand, according to Spark product director Tessa Tierney, who said it was a positive step at a time when connectivity was more important than ever.

“Rural wireless broadband plans are generally more expensive than in urban areas, because of the additional costs that come with building infrastructure in more remote areas and providing coverage across a highly dispersed population, but we have identified an opportunity to open up 30,000 rural addresses to Unplan, due to the type of radio spectrum these mobile towers are using,” she said.

“Our long-term goal is unconstrained capacity for all New Zealanders, no matter where they live, and while we can’t solve that challenge on our own or overnight, we’re excited to take a step forward with this offer.

“Increasing coverage and capacity in rural areas needs a joint approach, with Government complementing industry investment in areas that are particularly uneconomic. The Labour Government’s investment of a further $60 million for rural broadband, and an additional $10m to make suitable radio spectrum available to rural communities needing more capacity and coverage, is a great example of this.

“We are looking forward to supporting the rollout of this fund, while continuing to invest in new mobile towers through our joint venture, the Rural Connectivity Group, which has delivered more than 220 new rural towers to date and has another 180 in plan,” she added.

Wireless broadband works by connecting customers to the nearest cell tower, rather than relying on physical infrastructure like fibre or copper. Each cell tower has a certain capacity, which is shared by wireless broadband users at home and mobile customers.