An area the size of 450,000 rugby fields has been added to the country's cell network in just two years, says Communications Minister Amy Adams.
Thirty-four new cell towers including one in Porangahau in CHB have expanded coverage by an extra 3825 square kilometres to rural areas previously without coverage.
The new towers are a result of requirements set in the auction of the 700 MHz band of radio spectrum, won by Spark and Vodafone in 2014. Under the agreement they were required to build new towers in new rural areas in the first five years after the purchase.
"Thirty four towers were completed by the end of the second year, four sites more than required by the agreement. Seventeen have come online in the last year," says Ms Adams.
"People living and working in rural and remote areas are now able to use mobile phones in places where there was previously no coverage. Not only is this essential for emergency situations, it's a key component in supporting the economic development of rural New Zealand."
