Few 'credible players' in broadband services market

By ADAM GIFFORD

The Wairarapa Smart Region Group has short-listed the Telecom-BCL consortium, UCC Technologies and Walker Wireless with Vodafone to provide high-speed internet broadband services in its region.

The same three providers are on the shortlist for the Northland broadband project, and Walker Wireless has just beat Telecom to provide a network for Southland.

"From that you can gather there are a limited number of credible players in the market," said Wairarapa project manager Geoff Copps.

He said nine organisations responded to the original request for information. The short-listed parties have until November 28 to put in a more detailed proposal including the price users will be charged for access equipment either on a rental or outright sale basis, and a decision will be made by February at the latest.

Copps said while the Wairarapa group hoped some funding would come from Project Probe, the Government's plan to get broadband into the nation's schools, it wanted the whole community to benefit.

"We are making it very clear we would like to see providers work with the local community and existing providers, rather than do it to the community," he said.

The group covers the area from Dannevirke to Cape Palliser. Apart from Southland and Northland, decisions about broadband suppliers for the country's other 11 regions will be made by the Project Probe taskforce.