City to get ground-breaking high-speed wireless internet

One phone number and high-speed wireless internet _ and Tauranga residents will be the first in Australasia to enjoy the benefits of the $50 million telecommunications service when it launches within a year.
TelstraClear yesterday unveiled its new "Unplugged" service, delivered on a third generation cellular network _ that uses the same number for the home phone, mobile and internet.
It will enable customers to take "home" calls and use broadband (for the internet) wherever they are in Tauranga.
It's the next step in telecommunications that uses just one number for all phone needs and it will be operating within 12 months. People will be able to answer their new 3G phone whether they are in their home or dining on The Strand. The call will be directed through the same number and they won't miss it.
Because of its growing population and defined geographic area, TelstraClear has selected Tauranga as the first city in New Zealand and Australia to test the new technology.
The Tauranga move is TelstraClear's first response to the Government's decision to improve competition in the telecommunications market.
"Tauranga will be unplugged by July next year," TelstraClear chief executive, Dr Allan Freeth, announced last night.
He told a local business group at the Hotel on Devonport that the company was prepared to invest _ and not wait when it came to delivering something really different to customers.
"We will be introducing proven technology that is simple, portable and easy to use. It will deliver phone calls, broadband, mobile and more. We have cut out the telephone copper wire," he said.
TelstraClear is investing $50 million on the high-speed wireless network over the next two to three years and the majority of that will be spent on installing 30 cellphone towers and aerials in Tauranga and establishing a national base in Auckland.
The new service will use the existing fibre optic system, and TelstraClear will set up its own stores in Tauranga to sell the advanced `Unplugged' equipment including phones.
A local telecommunications expert, Mark Simpson, said the potential of the new service was huge _ this technology has not been seen anywhere else in the world.
"You only need one phone; you can walk out the door and it rings. You can be anywhere in Tauranga and you will always get the call."
Mr Simpson, a director of M2 Network, said the service would save costs for customers.
"At present you have to put in an answering service or direct calls to your mobile if you are not at home and that costs money.
"I'm pretty sure it will be popular in the business world because it is more convenient.
"You can leave the office and still receive the same call _ it takes away the expense of having to have a mobile and a different number," said Mr Simpson.
"It will be interesting to see what the new price schedule will be for the service."
Dr Freeth said there would be one price incorporating the home and mobile service _ it would be as competitive as the current calls across the national mobile network, although no specific prices have been released.