Vodafone has finished its nationwide $14 million 4G upgrade programme, following the completion of 121 cell site upgrades and 22 new cell site builds since January this year.
According to the telco, the programme has seen 4G coverage across the country increase to over 85 percent from approximately 74 percent in February this year.
To celebrate the completion, from Monday August 17, Vodafone will provide a money-back mobile network guarantee meaning that if any new customer on a monthly plan is not completely happy within the first 30 days, they can cancel their plan and get their money back.
“We’re putting our money where our mouth is,” says Tony Baird, Technology Director, Vodafone New Zealand.
“Kiwis love to stay connected and it’s always been our priority to provide our customers with the network they can rely on to do that.
“We’re giving new customers the opportunity to experience New Zealand’s leading mobile network - with no obligation.”
Baird adds that during the past year alone, Vodafone has been “relentless” with its upgrade schedule.
“These 4G upgrades ensure rural New Zealanders experience the same speed and benefits as those living and working in more urban areas,” he adds.
“As evidence of this, 80 of the cell site upgrades offer Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) Services and 15 new cell-sites are built under the RBI Initiative.”
Baird says that speeds on Vodafone’s 4G network are up to 10 times faster than 3G, with the company’s 4G network carrying around 350 terabytes of data each month; a 100 percent year-on-year increase.
In addition, data streaming now makes up more than 35 percent of traffic on the mobile network and areas like Southland, West Coast, Canterbury, Tasman and Northland have fully embraced the speed of 4G.
For example, during the past year, data use in Southland has increased by more than 170 percent since the arrival of 4G.
Following the completion of the upgrade programme, Vodafone’s 4G network is now available to approximately 3.56 million people (over 85 percent of the total population, increasing from approximately 74 percent in February 2015) across New Zealand, covering 36,680 square kilometres of the country.
At present, Baird claims that more than one million devices on Vodafone’s network are now accessing 4G.