Ultra-fast broadband will transform the way we do business, live our lives, and connect as a community.
As a result of excellent work by Wanganui District Council representatives, who were strongly supported by local business, health and education leaders, Wanganui has been selected as the second city to be connected in Government's $1.5 billion Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) programme.
Wanganui's UFB installation is expected to commence in October this year.
The national UFB programme will concentrate initially on priority users such as businesses, health services and schools, and the following examples illustrate the new world of opportunities UFB will make available to these sectors:
Business - Q-West Boat Builders Ltd, Wanganui
Q-West's managing director Myles Fothergill believes:
"UFB is not a luxury, it is an essential, state-of-the-art tool and one that Q-West will benefit from immensely.
"While there are some obvious and immediate benefits in terms of rapid file sharing, and communication (particularly in the international marketplace), the opportunity it presents to streamline the way we do business is the really exciting part.
"Just the benefits alone of virtually instant uploads and downloads mean so much more efficiencies and cost savings, translating directly into additional profit.
"For example, currently we have no option but to post our presentations on a disk to potential international clients - in contrast to the majority of our international competitors who can download theirs using UFB.
"In addition, having access to UFB will play a key role in keeping Q-West at the forefront of technology, which is critical to maintaining our world class image with our customers, suppliers and designers."
Health Services - Alcatel-Lucent's Smart Surgery Suite
"The Smart Surgery Suite allows specialist surgeons to oversee or direct surgery from a remote location - from Auckland, New York or wherever.
"UFB is able to deliver an incredibly high degree of quality information, which enables a specialist surgeon to see exactly what the local surgeon sees.
"The view from the endoscope [the camera inserted into the body] is transmitted via a UFB connection to the remote specialist's screen, together with the audio information to and from the operating theatre.
"The remote specialist can identify and mark items on his or her screen, and this information is then transmitted to the screen of the local surgeon.
"This enables the two surgeons to discuss what has been identified, and such conversations could, for example, lead to the specialist saying to the local surgeon 'The cells I have circled are a concern, get rid of them'."
"UFB makes the above possible and as a result more surgeries will be performed with world-class expertise, and more forums provided for the transference of world-class knowledge and experience."
Over the next weeks, information will be provided in this column which describes UFB in simple terms.
In addition, further local, national and international examples will be highlighted which will prove how UFB technology will profoundly change the world in which we live and work, and which will provide Wanganui-based businesses and organisations with fantastic "early adopter" opportunities.
Article contributed by the UFB Business Strategy Group. To find out more, or to contact the group, email john.patty@xtra.co.nz