The Telecom Smartphone Network reaches Claris

MEDIA RELEASE

21 December 2012

The Telecom Smartphone Network reaches Claris – Great Barrier Island

Locals and visitors to Claris on the Great Barrier now have a choice of mobile provider after Telecom installed equipment onto a local site. The equipment has gone live today just in time for the Christmas holiday.

Telecom has invested $175k to extend the existing Smartphone Network coverage on Great Barrier and to enable those in the Claris area to access voice, mobile broadband and text services. This is all over Telecom’s Smartphone Network - the New Zealand mobile network built specifically for smart phones. Telecom already has a mobile site at Tryphena and a mobile repeater at Kaikoura Island at Great Barrier.

The new mobile equipment at Claris is part of Telecom's continued commitment to rural communities to make a world-class mobile network accessible to more New Zealanders. This site will provide improved coverage to Claris, the areas surrounding Okupu and particularly to Great Barrier Airport. Some sea coverage, particularly to Blind Bay, will also be provided.

Emma Blackmore, Telecom’s Community Relations Manager, says “It’s important New Zealand communities are able to access mobile services and this investment in Claris will ensure those who live and work in this area will be able to make the most of what the Telecom Smartphone Network can offer.”

Emma says the role of telecommunications in rural New Zealand has become an increasingly important service, with people becoming more reliant on their mobile phones as their primary form of connectivity.

“Fast broadband and mobile services are vitally important for the success of rural businesses, education, health providers, and in bringing rural communities together,” she says.

To find out more about the Telecom Smartphone Network and the coverage in your area, please visit www.telecom.co.nz/coverage, or visit your closest store at Westfield Albany – Level 2, 219 Don McKinnon Drive.

ENDS

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