Telecom continues to invest in Himatangi Beach Village

Media Release

24 October 2013

Telecom’s continues to invest in Himatangi Beach Village.

Telecom has continued to invest in expanding its mobile network across the Himatangi Beach Village area with over 150 thousand dollars spent on a permanent mobile site which will improve mobile coverage and capacity at Himatangi Beach.

As a popular summer holiday spot, this investment enables locals and visitors to the area access to voice, mobile broadband and text services over the mobile network it has built specifically for smart phones.

In August 2012 members of the Himatangi beach community petitioned all three mobile providers as well as central and local government citing their concerns about the lack of mobile coverage, particularly over the holiday period when large numbers of holidaymakers visit the beach. The investment in the permanent site follows the Cell Site on Wheels (COW) that was rolled into the area in November last year.

Telecom has a small number of COWs which it uses as a temporary coverage solution.

The permanent solution in Himatangi Beach Village is part of Telecom's commitment to bringing data and mobility to rural communities. Telecom is co-locating on all of the Government’s Rural Broadband Initiative sites where it doesn’t already have coverage, and also has an ongoing programme of new mobile site builds and upgrades to improve coverage and capacity.

Himatangi Beach Community Committee member George Annear, a member of the group that petitioned for improved coverage, says the whole community is pleased to see that Telecom has listened.

“The installation of the permanent site is a great step forward and shows Telecom’s long term commitment to the area. The site provides a boost to safety on the beach and more comfort for all people enjoying the area.”

In addition Telecom has ten WiFi hotspots in the Palmerston North and Levin area.
Telecom has been trialling free WiFi hotspots across the country since Christmas 2012 and the free WiFi will continue for Telecom mobile customers on a Pay Monthly and $19 and $29 Prepaid Value Pack.

If you’re not a Telecom customer you can still access the WiFi network for a small monthly fee. To find your nearest WiFi hotspot go to http://www.telecom.co.nz/whatsnew/freetelecomwifizone/

To find out more about the Telecom Mobile Network and the coverage area please visit www.telecom.co.nz or visit the nearest Telecom store to Himatangi at The Plaza, 84 The Square, Palmerston North or 251 Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North.

ENDS

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