Timaru to be one of the first towns to benefit from UFB

More than 11,000 Timaru premises will benefit from ultra-fast broadband, including about 900 businesses, 75 medical facilities and 15 schools, Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams announced today.

Ms Adams was in Timaru today to mark the start of work to build an ultra-fast broadband (UFB) network in Timaru.

“Today marks the start of a new era of world-class broadband infrastructure for Timaru,” Ms Adams says.

“UFB will revolutionise the way many Timaru businesses, schools and healthcare providers operate.

“The barriers of distance and time will be almost completely removed by UFB, opening up new and exciting opportunities for Timaru.”

The build in Timaru is due to be finished by March 2015, making the town one of New Zealand’s first places to experience the potential economic and social benefits of a fully functional UFB network.

By July next year, more than 6000 Timaru homes, businesses and medical facilities will already be able to connect to fibre, including 15 schools.

The schools are:

• Bluestone School
• Craighead Diocesan School
• Gleniti School
• Grantlea Downs School
• Highfield School
• Mountainview High School
• Oceanview Heights School
• Roncalli College
• Sacred Heart School
• St Joseph’s School
• Timaru Boys’ High School
• Timaru Christian School
• Timaru Girls’ High School
• Timaru South School
• Waimataitai School

 

“Building a more competitive and productive economy is one of the Government’s four key priorities for our second term and the rollout of UFB is a significant component of this,” Ms Adams says.