Telecom New Zealand to Begin Rollout of 4G Network in October

   By Lucy Craymer 
 

WELLINGTON--Telecom Corp. of New Zealand Ltd. (TEL.NZ) will begin rolling out its 4G network in October in Auckland, with the network expected to be available in Christchurch and Wellington by year-end, the company said in a statement Tuesday.

Auckland-based Telecom added it expects to have its 4G Network live on around half its nationwide network during 2014 with the network to be built by Huawei Technologies Co.(002502.SZ).

"Over the past three months we have been trialing Huawei's 4G LTE (long-term evolution) technology in Auckland and Rotorua. Our testing has encompassed some very exciting new developments like carrier aggregation," said Telecom Chief Technology Officer David Havercroft. Carrier aggregation allows users to use two different spectrums simultaneously and provides increased speeds.

Telecom's move to a 4G network will allow it to compete with other major mobile phone provider Vodafone New Zealand, a subsidiary of Vodafone Group PLC (VOD, VOD.LN). Vodafone NZ already has a 4G network in New Zealand's largest city Auckland with plans to roll it out in Wellington and Christchurch later in 2013.

Telecom said it was also extending its network coverage in rural areas.

Write to Lucy Craymer at [e-mail]

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