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New Zealand to Fund Rural Broadband Network Upgrades

The New Zealand government has committed to bettering broadband network connectivity in rural areas. The plan was announced by the Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications, David Clark who disclosed that NZD 47 million from the Covid Response and Recovery Fund will go towards The Rural Capacity Upgrade, the project conceptualised to boost internet connectivity all over the country.

It will see existing cell towers upgraded and new towers built in rural areas experiencing poor performance, as well as fibre, additional VDSL coverage and other wireless technology deployed in congested areas.

– David Clark, Minister, Digital Economy and Communications

The Rural Capacity Upgrade is a comprehensive plan. According to Clark, 47,000 rural households and businesses should experience faster internet speeds and better reception than they do right now by the end of 2024. Some might say it’s an ambitious plan given that New Zealand has a total population of over 5 million.

Clark emphasises how connectivity is essential during the COVID-19 crisis. As lockdowns and social distancing initiatives became the norm, the ability to reach out to other people has never been more pronounced. Indeed, the pandemic has shown everyone on the island nation how reliable the internet is critical to being able to work, learn and socialise from our homes. Lockdowns breed isolation which can magnify negative emotions.

The Minister also cited how connectivity was adversely affected during the pandemic. More often than not, it is the rural areas that suffer the most when it comes to connectivity. Having been through lockdowns, it’s clear some rural networks had real trouble adapting to the extra usage. In short, they lack the capacity needed to ensure connections were stable.

To ensure the work goes through efficiently and effectively, a total of 13 private sector contractors have been tapped for the  Rural Capacity Upgrade project. These contractors have successfully signed contracts with Crown Infrastructure Partners (CIP) to carry out the work.

Crown Infrastructure Partners (formally Crown Fibre Holdings) works to implement the Government’s objectives in relation to improving the availability of and access to ultra-fast broadband, rural broadband and mobile voice and data coverage. In short, they are the government arm to ensure New Zealanders get connected.

Clark is optimistic everyone in the island nation would benefit from the project. He sees how essential the internet is to the lives of everyone. With these upgrades, rural businesses will have the tools to be more innovative and productive. Plus, it can also improve health and safety for New Zealanders and their families through remote health consultations, facilitate remote learning and help maintain social and family connections.

New Zealand is well aware of how much digital transformation can change lives. This new initiative to boost internet access all over the country is a telltale sign of its trust towards technology. The island nation may not be the biggest country in land area but its digitisation is well ahead of its times. Proof of this, it has launched a digital invoicing initiative, a technology unheard of in some areas of the planet.

It certainly wants the best for its people. Just recently, Aoteroa has opened its doors to ICT talent from all over. It knows the key to progress is with the right partners. As reported on OpenGov Asia, the nation has partnered with German researchers to move the needle when it comes to space exploration.

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

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CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

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Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

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HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

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IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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