Tauranga fully-fibred and raring to go

Photo/File

Tauranga is the fifteenth urban area where the rollout of Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) is finished, announced Communications Minister Amy Adams today.

"At the end of January, almost a quarter of the 54,600 homes and businesses in Tauranga which could connect to UFB had done so - and that's the third highest uptake in New Zealand," Ms Adams said.

"The UFB rollout in Tauranga started in August 2011, and total investment in the build exceeds $75 million."

All thirty-nine schools in Tauranga are now able to connect to UFB, and nearly all of them have taken up a service with the network for learning.

"UFB offers the opportunity for New Zealanders to make the most of improving business productivity and connectivity, smarter ways to receive health care, and ensures our youngest New Zealanders are competing on the world stage while studying," Ms Adams said.

"Across the country, the rollout of UFB is making steady progress. Access to faster and more reliable broadband is vital in opening up opportunities for those living in Tauranga."

The nationwide UFB build is now 60 per cent complete, with over 875,000 New Zealanders now able to connect to the network.

List of 15 completed UFB towns:

Whangarei, Te Awamutu, Oamaru, Cambridge, Tokoroa, Hawera, Ashburton, Blenheim, Whanganui, Taupō, Timaru, Greymouth, Masterton, New Plymouth and as of today Tauranga, are fully fibred.