Rural connectivity: Māori-US telco partnership to help extend 5G coverage to rural communities

Tū Ātea and Mavenir have teamed up to enable faster internet and improved mobile services to rural areas.

Originally published by Māori Television

Rural areas underserved by existing telecommunications providers are poised to benefit from a new Māori-led initiative.

The initiative is driven by a newly announced partnership between Tū Ātea, which manages the Māori-owned spectrum assets, and Mavenir, a leading US telecommunications software provider, to enable faster internet and improved mobile services through advanced 4G and 5G technology.

The partnership will focus on building 4G and 5G small cell private networks (localised networks tailored for businesses or organisations) ideal for primary production, manufacturing and critical infrastructure for example.

It will also promote infrastructure-sharing through neutral hosting, allowing New Zealand’s network operators such as Spark, One NZ, and 2degrees to expand coverage to underserved communities.

“We’re collaborating with existing mobile network operators, providing shared network infrastructure that extends 4G and 5G coverage to underserved areas,” Tū Ātea chief executive Antony Royal (Ngāti Tamatērā, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāpuhi) said on Friday in a release.

“This partnership empowers Māori to drive lower-cost, network-sharing technology solutions, particularly in rural areas.”

Tū Ātea said the partnership is another step toward establishing Māori leadership in telecommunications.