As part of the Government's nationwide Rural Broadband Initiative Chorus and Vodafone have been contracted to deliver improved broadband speeds to the Coromandel.

The Thames-Coromandel District Council says it is now working with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and both companies to get upgrades done as quickly as possible.

The Thames-Coromandel District Council is working closely with the Government, Chorus and Vodafone to deliver more broadband upgrades to the Peninsula. Photo: Thinkstock

Chorus runs the bulk of New Zealand's fibre-optic cables and copper lines that carry broadband, while Vodafone builds and operates Coromandel's cell-phone towers that transmit wireless broadband.

Internet Service Providers use these lines and towers to deliver broadband to their customers.

Economic Development Programme Manager Ben Dunbar-Smith says council is aware that good broadband speeds are an important part of the Coromandel's infrastructure.

It was right up there with roads, bridges and all the pipes and wires which are essential to modern life.

'Fast, steady broadband is as vital to the 21st Century economy as railways were to the 19th Century.”

Fast broadband is essential to businesses, whether it's to run a website profiling products and services, take online bookings, transmitting large information files, video conferences, or use cloud-based services to help with accounting.

'Fast broadband is also helpful to our district's non-resident ratepayers,” adds Ben. '[It gives] them the opportunity to work from the bach.

'It's also a selling point to businesses looking to set up or relocate in the Coromandel.”

UPGRADES AROUND THE COROMANDEL

In recent weeks Chorus has installed or upgraded fibre-fed cabinets in Kopu, Whenuakite and Hahei.

A second Kopu cabinet, serving businesses by the roundabout that aren't connected to the first cabinet, is due to be upgraded by the end of June.

Two other Coromandel cabinets are also due to be upgraded by July.

Vodafone is also building new fibre-connected cell phone towers or upgrading existing ones to provide high-speed wireless broadband and mobile coverage to more of the Coromandel.

A tower at Preece Point outside Coromandel Town was completed and went live in 2013. Three other new towers, in the Kauaeranga Valley, Te Puru and Manaia, are all in process.

Seven towers have recently been upgraded, at Coromandel Town, Thames, Whitianga Central, Matarangi, Hahei, Pauanui South and Pauanui/Tairua.

Upgrades to three other towers, in Opito Bay, Onemana and Colville, are due to be completed over the next 18 months.

A further tower at Kaiaua that would improve coverage over the Firth of Thames and is due to be completed this year.

In addition, a Hamilton-based firm called Lightwire has its own tower in Kopu that can deliver wireless broadband.

For more information about broadband around the Coromandel visit: www.tcdc.govt.nz/rbi