The next step in the process is to begin consultation with the communities who will receive the first deployment. Keeping rural communities informed about deployment plans will help to shape achievable community expectations as to when and how broadband will become available in their geographic area. This in turn will help to mitigate community concerns over practical aspects of the deployment, such as road closures, construction work or new roadside cabinets.
Providing rural communities with information on the broadband services available in their area will also maximise their ability to get the full benefit of those services as and when they arrive.
Vodafone and Telecom will embark on a Regional Stakeholder Engagement Process targeted at local authorities, economic development agencies, Iwi and other Maori entities, lines companies, wireless broadband providers, and user representatives (e.g. farmers, educational institutions etc.) at least 18 months before any planned infrastructure build. This means the community will be able to play a key role in ensuring the success of the programme at the regional and local level.
