Media Release
9 November 2010
Farmside Takes Action To Stop Satellite Installation Cowboys
Farmside, New Zealand’s leading rural telecommunications provider, has taken action to protect New Zealand consumers
from rogue satellite installers. Farmside has recently hosted the country’s largest satellite installer training
conference in Timaru, with 40 Farmside installers from all over the country attending. This is the first time such a
conference has been held.
Farmside installers are highly skilled in creating high-speed broadband links via wireless and satellite, including in
rural and very remote locations.
The conference allowed the certified installers the opportunity to update their knowledge base and practice new
installation techniques during practical training exercises. A range of presenters, including a technical engineer from
the Thailand based satellite provider IPSTAR, spoke at the conference.
“We’ve heard some horror stories about people getting unqualified and non-certified people in to work on their satellite
connections, with very unsatisfactory results. Farmside installers must be certified annually to meet company and our
satellite provider, IPSTAR, standards. They all carry Farmside identification cards that show their certification
status,” says Richie Smith, Farmside’s CEO.
“We can assure customers that Farmside installers will provide a high quality and consistent level of work. We’re
conscious that the only Farmside representatives some of our rural customers ever see are our installers, so it’s very
important they deliver a high quality of service and work.”
People who need assistance with their satellite dishes but who are not Farmside customers are still able to use the
expertise of Farmside installers up and down the country. Using Farmside certified installers will ensure people get
well qualified tradespeople and not cowboys.
ENDS