Spark New Zealand has signed up over 2,000 rural customers through its 4G mobile network, three months since launching Rural Wireless Broadband across the country.
Following trials of the service in the Waikato earlier this year, Spark officially launched Rural Wireless Broadband in July, billed as a ‘plug and play’ solution using the 4G network.
“The response to the service has been better than expected,” says David Redmore, Head of Mobility Products, Spark.
“Rural Wireless Broadband has opened up a whole new way of doing things for many of our rural customers.
“In the past it could take customers’ up to 30 minutes to download a bunch of emails, now the same customers are doing things like streaming online TV episodes in HD, and surfing YouTube to find out how they can make the most out of their farming software.”
Redmore says since its launch Spark has more than doubled the number of customers who can access Rural Wireless Broadband.
“After kicking off our rollout of 4G in the main city centres, we’ve focussed on delivering 4G to as many regional and rural areas as possible in the last 18-months,” he adds.
“Thanks to those efforts we’ve now more than doubled the number of customers who can access Rural Wireless Broadband because 4G is now available in their area.”
In recent weeks, Redmore says Spark has expanded its 4G coverage to more parts of the Hawkes Bay, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Manawatu, Masterton, Carterton, Marlborough, Hokitika, Westport, South Canterbury and Southland.