2degrees expanding more rural

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › 2degrees expanding more rural

DjShadow

4087 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#98722 5-Mar-2012 12:18

Just had a look at the Fusion map that Bartender keeps updated and noticed a few new places showing up that are rural getting coverage.

The few areas I could spot:
Cambridge
Matamata
Kaikoura
Mt Hutt / Mt Somers area
Cromwell
Picton

Hopefully 900mhz 3G will be in use

1 | 2

3539 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#590583 5-Mar-2012 12:29

While driving around Whangarei over the weekend, I also noticed many 2D sites have sprung up there. Coverage is excellent throughout much of the city, and to the west as far as Maungatapere except for a dead spot part-way up Maunu hill.

johnr

19282 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#590586 5-Mar-2012 12:36

They are co-locating on many VF masts

keewee01

1737 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#590592 5-Mar-2012 12:39

Heard ages ago that they'd put towers in Ashburton and the foothills and I see they're up and running... just waiting to the broadband coverage to extend to these new towers so that I can "go to town"...

grant_k

3539 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#590606 5-Mar-2012 12:46

johnr: They are co-locating on many VF masts

Great to see that this is finally happening. It seems pointless to double up on RMA costs, earthworks, buildings and power connections when suitable sites are already in existence. Obviously there has been some wheeling and dealing behind the scenes as 2D found it cheaper to build their own sites initially.

johnr

19282 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#590610 5-Mar-2012 12:50

Any carrier can apply to co-locate all INFO is on the Vodafone NZ site

DjShadow

4087 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#590611 5-Mar-2012 12:53

Isn't the Matamata VF 3G 900mhz gear co-located on telecom's main tower also?

wongtop

565 posts

Ultimate Geek

#590614 5-Mar-2012 12:55

This is interesting. I thought they might gradually push out their existing coverage areas (e.g. northwards of Albany in Auckland, south to Pukekohe, north of Christchuch to Kaiapoi and Rangiora, etc), but it seems like they are going into completely new areas.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

2degreesCare

1537 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

2degrees

#590705 5-Mar-2012 14:38

Just for info we've updated our Mobile Broadband Zone map -

http://www.2degreesmobile.co.nz/mobilebroadband/broadbandzones.

You'll notice Whangarei and Wanganui have been added. More coming soon.

^POB

SaltyNZ

8231 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

2degrees

Lifetime subscriber

#590820 5-Mar-2012 17:41

DjShadow: Isn't the Matamata VF 3G 900mhz gear co-located on telecom's main tower also?

We colo with Vodafone, Telecom and (IIRC) with Woosh. The problems with colocation are twofold:

1. The regulations didn't come into force until we were well into the design phase which includes town planning - getting permits is the longest part of the site build - so the majority of sites were already designed without colocation assumed. It also means that a reasonable number of sites don't have much spare cabinet space

2. The RMA rules permit much shorter towers in NZ than in other places, such as Australia. Shorter towers = reduced coverage; the site owner already has their gear at the top of the tower. You allow a metre or so clearance down to the next set, and your antennas are not very high off the ground, so your coverage isn't as good as you would like it to be

Those combined mean that colocation is not effective in as many sites as anyone would like.

iPad Pro 11" + iPhone 15 Pro Max + 2degrees 4tw!

These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

DjShadow

4087 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#590833 5-Mar-2012 18:28

Had another look at Bartender's map and the 2deg placemark is right on where the Telecom tower is, its a fairly decent hight one too.
Would you guys bolt on to the part below where the XT panels are or see if you can put an extension on top?

SaltyNZ

8231 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

2degrees

Lifetime subscriber

#590842 5-Mar-2012 18:45

DjShadow: Had another look at Bartender's map and the 2deg placemark is right on where the Telecom tower is, its a fairly decent hight one too.
Would you guys bolt on to the part below where the XT panels are or see if you can put an extension on top?

We do do some colo sites; just not as many as we would like, for various reasons. I'm not a lawyer but I don't think extensions are allowed - the RMA says how high the tower is allowed to be, and it's probably already that high. You'd be silly to build one shorter than you were allowed to.

iPad Pro 11" + iPhone 15 Pro Max + 2degrees 4tw!

These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

alasta

6706 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#590860 5-Mar-2012 20:06

wongtop: This is interesting. I thought they might gradually push out their existing coverage areas (e.g. northwards of Albany in Auckland, south to Pukekohe, north of Christchuch to Kaiapoi and Rangiora, etc), but it seems like they are going into completely new areas.

I suspect it comes down to resource consents - perhaps the Ashburton District Council is quicker than the Waimakariri District Council at issuing consents, for example.

Personally I think it's a good sign that they've put a tower in a strange place like Mt Somers because it indicates that they ultimately want to get a nationwide coverage footprint so that they can cut the apron strings from Vodafone. I quite often drive from Wellington up to Hastings or down to Christchurch and it would be good to have coverage in all the main stop off locations such as Waipukurau, Cheviot, etc.

DjShadow

4087 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#590863 5-Mar-2012 20:15

Its interesting they are putting one in cambridge but not adding coverage on the main highway between Cambridge and Hamilton

SaltyNZ

8231 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

2degrees

Lifetime subscriber

#590875 5-Mar-2012 20:36

DjShadow: Its interesting they are putting one in cambridge but not adding coverage on the main highway between Cambridge and Hamilton

Not really. It's about reducing the roaming bill to Vodafone. Highway sites don't carry much traffic, so they don't cost us very much.

iPad Pro 11" + iPhone 15 Pro Max + 2degrees 4tw!

These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

langi27

676 posts

Ultimate Geek

#590895 5-Mar-2012 21:32

Does that mean that once 2degrees hit a certain number of sites and cover a big enough percentage of customers they will have mitigated enough roaming costs and could issue a blanket braodband zone roaming or not? thus taking a loss on the small percentage left on VF but giving customers a cleaner and less confusing option about whether or not they are in a broadband zone. There has to be a cutoff point where it becomes profitable and they can afford to take the hit at the same time.

1 | 2