RBI: The Vodafone-Telecom joint proposal

By working together, Telecom and Vodafone are able to over-deliver on the RBI objectives in terms of broadband speed, coverage and service. Further, the companies’ proposal extends mobile voice, SMS and data access where little or no service currently exists.

Telecom will build the fixed infrastructure and Vodafone will build the wireless towers.

Telecom

Delivers schools objective

• Fibre to schools, hospitals and wireless sites
• Fast broadband (FTTN) extended deep into rural NZ
• Backhaul services over open-access fibre

Vodafone

Delivers community objective

• Identifies sites, builds open-access towers and equips them with technology to deliver community coverage
• Manages tower co-location

Under this agreement with the Government, Vodafone and Telecom will build and deliver open-access (competitive) rural broadband infrastructure that delivers 100 Mbps fibre connections to approximately 730 rural schools and hospitals, and uses this as a backbone to provide 5Mbps fixed and wireless broadband to 80% + of rural homes.

It will also give urban-like fixed line DSL broadband performance and choice to 57% of rural customers.