BCL covers the rugged bits to finish its digital upgrade

By PETER GRIFFIN

Broadcast Communications says its national network of transmission towers is ready to supply digital terrestrial television, as it completes the last piece of a $40 million equipment upgrade.

The state-owned company is also on a recruitment drive as it seeks to pick up cell-site planning and building as part of Vodafone's 3G network project.

BCL has just finished putting digital microwave radio equipment into its sites on the West Coast of the South Island, plugging the last major gap in digital coverage.

The upgrade from analogue covers a 250km stretch from Nelson to Greymouth.

It adds capacity, allowing more TV and radio services to be delivered and giving extra bandwidth for BCL's wireless broadband service, Extend.

"It's where the most hospitable people in the country are, but it's the most inhospitable terrain," said BCL's managing director, Geoff Lawson.

About 150Mbps (megabits per second) of capacity now feeds that part of the network, quadrupling the analogue capacity.

That ends a major programme of capital expenditure for BCL, but more investment is likely to replace analogue microwave radio in Queenstown and Gisborne.

"That's a little more discretionary, but there are some business opportunities there," said Lawson.

The West Coast network is supplying backhaul for Vodafone and TelstraClear.

Lawson said demand for Extend broadband services, which are wholesaled through the likes of Telecom, ihug and Iconz, had been slow.

The network was still in a quasi-trial phase and did not have commercially available voice services.

He expected his retail partners to increase their wireless broadband marketing efforts soon.

The Government's plans for digital television remain in consultation phase, but Lawson said BCL was now able to deliver digital TV signals nationally.

"It makes us almost completely ready in the context of digital terrestrial TV," he said.

But the Government is making no strong moves to speed digital TV's implementation.

Michael Gibbs, spokesman for Broadcasting Minister Steve Maharey, said the Government was still receiving replies to its request late last year for candidates to be in an "industry working party" looking at digital TV.

"It's not something that has to be sorted immediately," he said.

BCL advertised in weekend newspapers for people to fill several positions including project director for network build, radio frequency technicians and engineers and communications riggers.

BCL is negotiating with Vodafone to collect cell site planning work as it looks to install Vodafone's 3G equipment on its towers.