UFB installations surpass 300,000 New Zealanders

Close to 300,000 premises have been connected with UFB. Photo / File

Ultra-fast broadband (UFB) installations have surpassed 300,000 New Zealanders, communications Minister Amy Adams says.

In the quarterly broadband update to September, released today, figures show close to 50,000 connections were made in the last quarter alone.

Adams said the Government's overall UFB roll-out was 5 per cent ahead of schedule - and more than 69 per cent complete.

"The overall deployment of UFB is five per cent ahead of schedule at over 69 per cent complete, with 13,342 new end users added to the market this quarter."

At the end of September, 288,700 premises were connected out of a possible one million, this increased to 300,000 by mid-October.

"UFB is revolutionising New Zealand's connectivity. We are seeing it transform communities and businesses, while bringing jobs to the regions," Adams said.

"Uptake nationwide has increased to 28.3 per cent."

UFB roll out was launched in 2010 as a key initiative of the National Government, the first stage aimed to enable at least 75 per cent of New Zealanders to access fibre by 2019.

In addition to UFB, phase one of the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) has given 300,000 rural premises the ability to access faster broadband at over five megabits per second.

The Rural Broadband Initiative was released in October.

The Government has invested $2 billion for the roll out of both initiatives.

Chorus is currently working on 70 per cent of all installations.