Spark has named agricultural fluid monitoring service Levno as the first customer for its LoRaWAN low powered wide area radio network for IoT — due to launch before the end of March — and has formed a partnership with Levno that will see the network expanded beyond its original planned 20 urban centres.
Spark has added contact centre, unified communication, cloud security access brokerage and site connectivity to its Telecommunications as a Service (TaaS) portfolio, saying the move will strengthen its ability to offer TaaS to government agencies.
Spark has given more details of its plans to roll out a low powered wide area radio network for IoT, based on the LoRaWAN technology.
Spark says it now has 100,000 customers on its fixed wireless broadband service, launched in April 2016 and delivered using its cellular network.
Spark has announced that it will commence trials of an LTE Cat-M1 network for IoT applications during November ahead of delivering a commercial network early in 2018 that it says will “cover 95 percent of the places New Zealanders live, work and play.”
Spark MD Simon Moutter has commited the telco to a wireless future and foreshadowed significant consolidation in the fixed broadband retail market, citing low margins on the wholesale price fixed broadband retailers pay to Chorus another fixed network owners.
Nokia branded mobile phones have re-appeared in New Zealand via Spark. The company and its retail channel partners will be the exclusive retailers of the Android based Nokia 8, Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6, starting this week.
The Commerce Commission has released a study that shows 90 percent of the recent reductions in Chorus’ regulated wholesale broadband prices have flowed through to consumers.
Spark has signed a conditional agreement to acquire marketing automation provider Ubiquity — which claims to be New Zealand’s only provider of “complete end-to-end marketing automation solutions” — saying the move will boost Qrious’ data analytics software business enabling it to get into the data driven marketing sector.
According to a post on the NZTech blog, Spark is partnering with NIWA, Farmlands, and Ballance Agri-Nutrients to launch an Internet of Things pilot for farmers, starting with about 40 farms in the Matamata-Piako region, with a further 20 farms to be added in the South Island.
Communications minister Simon Bridges has revealed final details of the Government’s telecommunications reforms, expected to come into force from 2020, saying they will introduce a more predictable utility-style model for Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) fibre, deregulate copper lines where fibre is available, and improve the quality of service for consumers by increasing regulatory oversight.
Spark has become the latest company to have its shareholders targeted by Zero Commission, a company that describes itself as “the New Zealand leader in genuine offers to small shareholders.”
Spark, through Spark Ventures, has bought an unspecified minority stake in PropertyNZ, the company behind the Homes.co.nz real estate web site.
Spark is to provide the Christchurch Justice and Emergency Services Precinct with cloud and wireless communications services under an agreement with the Ministry of Justice.
Spark has become the official technology partner of Wellington’s Westpac Stadium and will install a high density WiFi network throughout the stadium in partnership with technology supplier, Huawei to improve mobile communications for visitors and to support a network of display screens for advertising and information.