Ōtira Village gets much needed coverage

Tuesday, 28 March 2017, 2:56 pm
Press Release: Spark NZ

28 March 2017

Ōtira Village gets much needed coverage

Spark has switched on a metro cell site at Ōtira Village, bringing much needed mobile coverage to the West Coast side of State Highway 73.

In December 2015, the local Otira Village community contacted Spark about improving mobile coverage in the area following a serious bus crash on State Highway 73 near Arthurs Pass. Spark responded by working closely with KiwiRail to install a small-scale metro cell on their communications hut near Otira Railway Station, which delivers new 3G coverage to a radius of around 500 meters. This bubble of new coverage means people can pull off the highway into a safe spot and make calls and send text messages.

Spark’s Head of South Island Paul Deavoll thanked Dr. Diane Gordon-Burns for raising concerns on behalf of the Ōtira Community and acknowledged the support of KiwiRail in working with Spark to get the coverage up and running.

“We’re pleased to be able to find a solution for the local community and for tourists and motorists passing through the area on State Highway 73. We’ve used metro cells in other, hard-to-reach places around New Zealand, such as Albury, Ōkārito, Maruia, and we are looking at rolling them out to other areas where they can provide a similar boost in coverage,” says Deavoll.

“KiwiRail is happy to have been a part of this project,” says KiwiRail Group General Manager Network Services Todd Moyle.

“As a company, we put a high priority on safety, and this makes the situation much safer for those travelling through the Ōtira Gorge area.”

Local Community Association member Dr. Diane Gordon-Burns Art Curator - John Burns Gallery of Modern Art in Ōtira says she is delighted to have mobile coverage across the village.

"It is great for people travelling the area and for the community itself in times such as the local weather bomb that caused severe flooding."

"The community are grateful Spark have listened to community concerns about the lack of cell coverage and that they have acted so promptly, which is good for everybody considering the high tourist visits to the area,” she adds.

ENDS

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