One New Zealand said its 5G service is live in parts of Auckland, Hamilton, Bay of Plenty, Manawatū-Whanganui, Taranaki, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and Southland
New Zealand carrier One New Zealand said it has reached an agreement to acquire Dense Air’s business with the aim of expanding its 5G footprint.
Through this transaction, One New Zealand is acquiring 2×35 megahertz of 2.6 GHz spectrum, which can be immediately deployed by the carrier to improve speeds and capacity on the carrier’s 4G and 5G mobile networks.
The management right to this spectrum has five and half years left to run, with renewal due at the end of 2028, the company said.
One New Zealand CEO, Jason Paris said the purchase of new spectrum will increase network capacity, benefitting end customers across the country.
“Back in July we re-tuned the network leading to a 30% speed boost on 5G. Now we’re making our mobile experience even better by making this spectrum available to our customers,” the executive said.
The company highlighted that this transaction is part of One New Zealand’s focus on network improvement, which has seen a significant investment in over 500 4G and 5G site upgrades and new builds in the past eighteen months. “Connectivity is our core business and we’re committed to offering our customers a brilliant mobile experience. Adding this new spectrum to our network, we’ll continue developing our 5G network and get ready for next year’s launch of our SpaceX collaboration, providing coverage like never before for New Zealanders,” the company indicated in a blog post.
One New Zealand’s acquisition of Dense Air’s New Zealand business is subject to approval by the Commerce Commission and other customary closing conditions, the company added.
According to the carrier’s website, its 5G service is live in parts of Auckland, Hamilton, Bay of Plenty, Manawatū-Whanganui, Taranaki, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and Southland, among other cities.
In May, the government of New Zealand said it signed contracts with local carriers Spark, 2Degrees and One New Zealand to accelerate the roll out of 5G services to small towns across New Zealand and improve rural connectivity.
The government said that the country’s three mobile network operators each received 80 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band, which according to the authorities, is sufficient radio spectrum for all three companies to operate nationwide 5G networks.
The long-term rights to the 3.5 GHz spectrum band for 5G services were expected to come into effect on July 1, 2023, following the expiration of the short-term rights granted in October 2022.
