Chorus willing to chip in for better rural broadband – if the Govt does too

Chorus wants UFB fibre expanded to cover 90 per cent of homes – which it says would bring another 75,000 homes into the fold and improve rural broadband.

The UFB network operator says the expansion
would cost $500 million. It wants the Crown to chip in to help make it happen.

MBIE’s Lifting Connectivity in Aotearoa New Zealand strategy document, released in December, leaned in the same direction.

“The government will support or encourage the extension of fibre, including backhaul, to improve network performance and resilience in areas where the commercial viability of fibre backhaul to support various access modes is the best long-term solution but is not commercially viable for the private sector to provide on its own,” MBIE said.

Budget 2023 could reveal funding for a…