Unison Group is getting out of the internet fibre business

Unison has sold its internet fibre business. Photo / NZME

Unison Group is selling its fibre network business to Tuatahi First Fibre.

Unison Fibre, a subsidiary of electricity lines company Unison Group, was set up in 2009 and has 3500 customers.

A joint release from Unison and Tuatahi First Fibre, who are described as “the leading Central North Island fibre network provider”, announced the deal but not the purchase price.

“Tuatahi is committed to heartland New Zealand, so Unison Fibre is a great fit for us,” Tuatahi chief executive John Hanna said.

“This acquisition means we can expand our central North Island footprint and we’re excited to welcome Unison’s skilled staff into our team.

“As we merge Unison’s fibre business into ours, we will ensure Unison’s current fibre customers a smooth transition without any disruption to services.”

Both companies are hailing the deal as a win for fibre consumers, who the release says will now have access to “up to 50 providers” for the internet service.

“It has been a fantastic journey building Unison Fibre into the attractive business that it is today,” Unison chief executive Jaun Park said.

“Now is the right time to hand the stewardship on to a parent company that can take it to the next level.”

Tuatahi was established in 2011 and operates approximately 15 per cent of the nationwide ultra-fast broadband network.

The purchase of Unison Fibre is expected to be completed by the end of this year.