15 May 2013
Fibre broadband is coming to Rangiora and Kaiapoi – local businesses and schools to benefit
Fibre network provider, Enable has today announced that Rangiora and Kaiapoi’s commercial centres will soon receive
fibre broadband services – with its network build in the towns about to begin.
Enable CEO, Steve Fuller believes that this announcement is a significant shot in the arm for the two towns and will
help position them as great places to work, live and play.
“Getting access to fibre broadband will provide exciting new opportunities for businesses in Rangiora and Kaiapoi,” said
Mr Fuller. “Local business will be able to access new online tools, enjoy cost savings and find new ways to sell to
customers all over the world and locally.”
This announcement is also very significant for the Waimakariri District Council and Enterprise North Canterbury. It
means they can market their towns as having the same quality of fibre broadband services as those available in the
hearts of New Zealand’s biggest cities.
“Waimakariri District is experiencing enormous population growth and there is great opportunity for Rangiora and Kaiapoi
to benefit from this growth as key commercial centres,” said Heather Warwick, Enterprise North Canterbury CEO.
“Accessing the best fibre broadband connectivity is essential for business. Enable’s network will attract more
businesses to establish in our towns, meaning more people will be able to work locally.
“As a business community, we are very excited that Enable is coming.”
Another important part of Enable’s first year of network build in the towns is connecting Rangiora and Kaiapoi High
Schools to fibre, along with other local schools.
“Quality broadband connectivity is essential in learning and teaching today and into the future,” said Mr Fuller. “It’s
been an important priority to get our network to the two high schools as quickly as possible.”
Rangiora High School, one of the largest schools in the South Island, has been running multiple broadband services into
the school to provide basic connectivity for students and staff.
Mr Fuller added, “A single fibre service over Enable’s network will be able to replace all these connections, and
provide many times the speed and bandwidth to the school.”
Enable’s work is already underway in the area. In Kaiapoi, Enable has been laying its network when earthquake recovery
infrastructure work is being done to ensure minimal disruption and speed up deployment to the town. Two fibre utility
buildings are also being built in the towns to form the heart of Enable’s network.
Enable will be undertaking this network build work in the coming year. It is finalising the exact timing for when
businesses and schools will be able connect, and will be able to share this information in the next couple of months.
About Enable
Enable is a partnership between Crown Fibre Holdings Limited and Christchurch City owned Enable Services Limited to
build and operate the ultra-fast broadband (UFB) network for Christchurch and surrounding centres.
It will deliver fibre broadband services to up to 180,000 homes, schools and businesses in Christchurch, Rangiora,
Kaiapoi, Woodend, Lincoln, Prebbleton and Rolleston.
Enable’s fibre broadband will play a vital role as Christchurch rebuilds – it will sit at the heart of our vision for a
21st century city. It will generate new industry, provide unprecedented access to global markets and services for local
businesses, and enable the people of Christchurch to connect with each other in exciting new ways.
More information about Enable is available from www.enable.net.nz.
ENDS