RBI2/MBSF expansion - 99.8% population coverage

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › RBI2/MBSF expansion - 99.8% population coverage

DarkShadow

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#243556 18-Dec-2018 10:55

Government is spending another $130m on fixed wireless/cellular connections for another 10,000 households, taking total broadband coverage to 99.8% of population.

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/broadband-extends-998-population

Zeon

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#2147034 18-Dec-2018 12:00

For the cost is satellite a better option? 10,000 households at 130 million is $13,000 per household! A massive subsidy!

Are there areas of the country that a WISP couldn't connect a household for <$10k? Maybe using neighbours land for relay station if the household doesn't have land at the right elevation/position?

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hio77

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#2147060 18-Dec-2018 12:45

99.8 is quite a metric to hit..

Impressive from a worldwide standard, but i too would question if that's quite effective use of funding.

Many of the existing RCG sites with only L700 will congest easily.

and then there are some that for some reason aren't looking to be 4g?

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DarkShadow

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#2147063 18-Dec-2018 12:49

There's this bit in the FAQ:

There are approximately 4,000 rural households and businesses left without access to enhanced broadband coverage after the expansion. These households and businesses may be currently receiving access through satellite or other legacy terrestrial services. CIP will be liaising with existing partners and industry to establish options to improve coverage to these households and businesses during 2019.

atomeara

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#2147065 18-Dec-2018 12:54

Zeon:

For the cost is satellite a better option? 10,000 households at 130 million is $13,000 per household! A massive subsidy!

Are there areas of the country that a WISP couldn't connect a household for <$10k? Maybe using neighbours land for relay station if the household doesn't have land at the right elevation/position?

I am aware of one WISP that charged 2k for a hill top relay to do just that, with solar. Some of this funding is to extend WISPs into these last remaining pockets.

However a large amount of the money is for highway and tourism black spot funding, satellite won't help with that.

WISP and Fixed wireless generally have bigger data caps (some satellite are starting to offer no cap), are cheaper and faster than satelite broadband.

I think this funding will offer a better outcome for most end users than satellite would.

atomeara

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#2147066 18-Dec-2018 12:55

hio77:

99.8 is quite a metric to hit..

Impressive from a worldwide standard, but i too would question if that's quite effective use of funding.

Many of the existing RCG sites with only L700 will congest easily.

and then there are some that for some reason aren't looking to be 4g?

What sites are not 4G?

quickymart

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#2147105 18-Dec-2018 13:51

Interesting, but this isn't 99.8% of area is it? More like 99.8% of the population?

Linux

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#2147412 18-Dec-2018 21:21

quickymart:

Interesting, but this isn't 99.8% of area is it? More like 99.8% of the population?

@quickymart It states the word ' Population ' in the media release and it's on the end of the URL as well as the title of this thread

No idea how you could miss that

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quickymart

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#2147482 18-Dec-2018 22:11

Sorry, I didn't read it thoroughly, I only glanced at it as I was in a rush. Entirely my fault.

quickymart

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#2147485 18-Dec-2018 22:20

Okay, I've looked at the map now. RBI2 for Haast? Cool!
The "State Highway Remaining" line is a bit misleading though - looks like the divisions between each of the regions, not the actual State Highways.

coffeebaron

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#2147540 19-Dec-2018 07:51

Yep, RBI2 for Haast, but that's old news.

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quickymart

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#2149538 23-Dec-2018 09:43

I forgot to ask, how are they going to get coverage to the Chatham Islands? Increased satellite capacity? Surely they wouldn't lay a cable all that distance for a small population.

BarTender

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#2149592 23-Dec-2018 12:46

quickymart:

I forgot to ask, how are they going to get coverage to the Chatham Islands? Increased satellite capacity? Surely they wouldn't lay a cable all that distance for a small population.

Chathams already have broadband. Wireless Nation offer it via a point to point radio link rather than Satellite.

I know when I was at Spark that they still offered dialup internet on the Chathams as they had a dedicated NAS there and then have a leased circuit running MPLS for internet and element management.

But I don't believe mobile coverage has been deployed there because it's not cost effective to put a COW/Micro-cell there.