[News] Spark Continues its 4G Rollout on its 700MHz Spectrum
Spark New Zealand announced today it has deployed 4G to its 150th mobile site over the 700MHz radio spectrum on its Hangatiki site, marking a key milestone for customers in the Waikato region where trials of the 700MHz spectrum began just over 12-months ago.
Since trials started in Morrinsville in April last year 106 sites have been enabled with 4G on 700MHz throughout the Waikato – with the remaining 44 sites lighting up 4G across other parts of regional New Zealand.
More than 60 per-cent of smartphones and a number of tablets available for customers to purchase on Spark’s mobile network are now compatible with the 700MHz spectrum, making it even easier for customers to access 4G services to share, upload, download and stream content faster and more reliably than ever before.
As part of its commitment to connect customers to their digital lives throughout the regions of New Zealand, Spark New Zealand invested in four lots of the 700MHz spectrum last year – more than any other provider, in order to roll out 4G throughout the country over the next three years.
General Manager of Networks for Spark Connect, Colin Brown says:
“The more spectrum a provider owns, the more capacity it has to carry data at faster speeds on the network, even at the busiest times.
“Investing in the 700MHz spectrum is like adding more lanes to a highway. We invested $158 million to secure four lanes of the highway – more than any other provider. By adding more 4G lanes we’re adding a whole lot more capacity to our mobile network and we are in an ideal position to ensure customers have a seamless experience using mobile, particularly as access to 4G becomes available to more New Zealanders.”
Access to fast mobile speeds will allow rural business to harness new technologies whether at the farm-gate, on the road or in the paddock said Mr Brown.
“It’s an exciting time for agribusiness customers who can take advantage of new technologies like Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications to do things like monitor soil and rainfall levels or track herd movements.
“M2M technology makes the process of recording, storing and uploading key data to the likes of the Cloud faster, driving greater productivity and saving significant cost to the business,” said Mr Brown.
Spark New Zealand is forging ahead with its rollout of 4G on the 700MHz spectrum. Since January this year it has extended its 4G coverage over 700MHz to a number of new areas, including:
- Alexandra
- Bay of Plenty
- Carterton
- Coromandel
- Cromwell
- Golden Bay
- Inglewood
- Kaitaia
- Kerikeri
- Levin
- Paraparaumu
- Taupo
- Te Kuiti
- Timaru
- Tokoroa
- Waikanae
- Waiuku
- Whangaparaoa
For more information about 4G coverage in their area customers can go to www.spark.co.nz/coverage
Before July this year Spark New Zealand plans to have 4G coverage live on the 700MHz spectrum in Palmerston North and will also continue to extend its coverage throughout Napier, Hastings, Taranaki and Timaru.
