Communications Minister Amy Adams has announced the rollout of Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) is now finished in Hamilton, the largest area completed so far.
“Hamilton is the sixteenth urban area to have their UFB built completed, and now more than 63,000 homes, schools, medical centres and businesses are able to connect,” Adams says.
“The completed rollout will be welcomed by those living in Hamilton. Broadband is vital to New Zealanders, and connects us to one another and new markets across the world.”
Adams says the Hamilton rollout commenced in July 2011, and total investment exceeds $85 million.
“This also marks Ultra-Fast Fibre’s final candidate area to be completed, so more than 183,000 end users in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki can now connect to UFB,” Adams adds.
“I’d like to congratulate UFF on the completion of their six candidate areas, six months ahead of schedule and on budget.”
Adams says New Zealand’s UFB build is now 60 percent complete, and over 875,000 New Zealanders are now able to connect to the network.
Consequently, all 56 schools in the Hamilton area can connect through UFB and the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) programmes, and nearly all have taken up a service
At present, UFB uptake in Hamilton has reached 19.9 percent.
Ultrafast Fibre Limited
Ultrafast Fibre Limited also welcomed the announcement, marking the conclusion of a five-year network build for the company, covering eight urban centres across the central North Island.
The Local Fibre Company began construction of its 3,000km UFB network in 2011, which now passes a total of more than 183,000 businesses, homes and schools, representing about 13 per cent of the national UFB network.
“We are very proud to have completed building the fibre network here in Hamilton, which is where we originally started,” says William Hamilton,” CEO, Ultrafast Fibre.
“With nearly 63,000 end user premises across Hamilton now able to connect and with demand for UFB continuing to grow, we look forward to seeing the truly innovative things that the city achieves with access to this new technology.”
Hamilton says Ultrafast Fibre has now completed network builds in Hamilton, Tauranga, New Plymouth, Te Awamutu, Cambridge, Tokoroa, Whanganui and Hawera.