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NZ's Telecom and Vodafone propose broadband JV

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CIOL Bureau
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WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand's top two telecommunications concerns proposed a joint venture to provide fast Internet services to rural areas.

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Telecom and Vodafone said they had proposed to the government a plan which would see them combine their resources to build new, open access network infrastructure for the provision of broadband in rural areas.

Telecomn is New Zealand's biggest full service telecoms company, while Vodafone is the country's biggest mobile provider.

The government is seeking plans to fast internet fibre connections to 97 per cent of rural schools and a minimum five megabits broadband service to 80 per cent of rural households within six years.

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The two companies said the fibre and wireless services would be openly available to all providers.

Telecom would build fibre to schools and hospitals, cell sites and rural exchanges and cabinets, and Vodafone would design and build infrastructure the two companies use to co-locate their mobile services on.

The Ministry of Economic Development is running the bid process for the rural broadband services and a decision by the Minister is expected to be made by Christmas.

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