Whanganui officially 5G connected after Vodafone switches on network

Whanganui is officially 5G connected, with Vodafone turning on their network on Monday. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui is now connected to the 5G cellular network with Vodafone switching on its new cell towers.

The network is the 5th generation of the mobile broadband cellular network, with Vodafone and Spark currently rolling it out nationwide.

The network has a faster connection and increased capacity compared with the previous 4G.

Whanganui is the 7th city in the country to get Vodafone's 5G network, following Queenstown, Christchurch, Wellington, Palmerston North, Tauranga and Auckland.

A tangible economic boost from the technology is also expected, with Whanganui company eHaus expecting the new network to make doing business easier.

"We have specialised building teams and designers from Northland to Invercargill. 5G technology will enable us faster and more professional options to communicate to our teams and clients alike. The anticipated low latency will also allow us to send and receive large documentation almost instantly," company director Jon Iliffe said.

Currently, only a select few mobile phones can use the technology, including the latest iPhone and Samsung devices released within the last twelve months.

While Spark's 5G network is live in Palmerston North, it hasn't yet been launched in Whanganui, with the company saying it expects to be able to provide an update on the rollout in further regional centres at its end-of-year financial results announcement.

New Zealand was the 22nd country in the world to get 5G.

"We've significantly improved our coverage footprint in the region over the past few months to ensure our customers are faster and better connected," Thaigan Govender, Head of Vodafone NZ's Mobile Access Network said.

"Whanganui is an awesome regional centre and we're pleased to now offer customers in the coverage area the ability to connect to the latest mobile network, adding to Vodafone 5G coverage which has been live in Palmerston North since May.

According to Vodafone, the company's older 4G network - first launched in 2014 - now reaches 97 per cent of the Whanganui/Manawatū region.

Both 4G and 5G connectivity is expected to increase as the company says they are currently in the process of building 15 new towers in the region, as well as 33 new rural broadband locations.

Part of those upgrades included a newly erected tower near Bridge Street in Bulls, and a new tower on Koromiko Road in Gonville.