WELLINGTON, N.Z.�The government of New Zealand today announced a boldnew connectivity targetfor areas outside the UFB (ultra-fast broadband) footprint. Under this target virtually all New Zealanders, regardless of where they live or work, will be able to access broadband at peak speeds ofat least 50 Mbps by 2025, the government�s Communications Minister Amy Adams announced.
The 2015 Budget allocated $360 million to extend UFB and the Rural Broadband Initiative; the 2025 rural broadband targets are aligned with the Government�s two-pronged approach to boosting economic growth across regional New Zealand through the Business Growth Agenda and Regional Growth Program. By 2025, the Government envisions:
- � � � ��99 percent of New Zealanders able to access broadband at peak speeds of at least 50 Mbps (up from 97.8 percent getting at least 5 Mbps under RBI)
- � � � ��The remaining 1 percent able to access to 10 Mbps (up from dial up or non-existent speeds).
Rural communities are set to benefit most under the new targets which mark a ten-fold increase on the current target peak speeds of 5 Mbps under the Rural Broadband Initiative.�
