Published on the 03/06/2015 | Written by Donovan Jackson

Imminent launch of new Spark 4G service given thumbs up…

In the aftermath of the Telecommunications User Association’s Rural Broadband Symposium which took place in Wellington last week, Spark has said it is to introduce a new fast rural broadband service, although no date has been given for the commercial launch.

Telecommunications User Association of NZ CEO Craig Young nevertheless described the move as positive, bringing more service provider options to those living outside of the main centres.

“Rural broadband is essential for many reasons and it’s not just necessary for farmers, as 80% of those living in the country are not on farms. There’s a huge workforce which can benefit from better connectivity and all that comes with it; the regions is where most of our GDP growth comes from,” said Young.

Providing better connectivity, he added, enhances the possibility of allowing people to move away from the major conurbations, particularly those working in digitally enabled businesses. “The advantages of rural living are numerous. Housing is more affordable, the lifestyle is better. Connectivity plays a major role in making it viable for people to move back into the regions.”

Young said in the simplest form, rural customers should expect the same service that urban ones do. “We need a long term vision for rural connectivity. We also need to let people know what is available, as quite a bit has been spent already and there is progression of services; the $100 million for the next phase [of the RBI] is not going to get rural NZ to the same standing as the rest of the country, but it will make some progress and we have to accept that it can’t be done immediately.”

Meanwhile, Spark has started trialing a new wireless broadband product which uses the 4G network on the 700MHz spectrum: in other words, it is modern technology. GM Wholesale & Product Lindsay Cowley said the commercial launch is imminent. “We deliberately held off launching a wireless broadband product until we could be confident of delivering a quality service to our regional and rural customers using only the fastest mobile technology available.”

The service can be set up by the customer and doesn’t require outside antennae; Young said this, together with the use of new technology, is a positive sign. “That is one of the issues people are talking about. If you need a technician, it costs money. While we don’t yet know pricing and plans, the apparent simplicity of getting a good, competitive internet service similar to what can be expected in the city is a sound development.”

Cowley echoed Young’s concerns. “The uptake of existing RBI products has been quite low with a degree of poor customer satisfaction voiced by consumers and industry spokespeople. Spark’s wireless broadband product will address these concerns and deliver speeds of up to 10 times faster than what some customers tell us they are experiencing on the current 3G RBI product.”

Like any cellular service, access to Spark’s 4G service will depend on network coverage. Spark says an online tool will be made available for potential customers to see if they are in range.