Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has today released a discussion document on possible changes to the Telecommunications Service Obligations (TSO).
The TSO regulatory framework established under the Telecommunications Act 2001 provides for basic telecommunications services to be available and affordable. Under the Act, a review of the TSO is required to take place before the end of 2013.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams leaves today for a Ministerial ICT conference in Singapore.
More than 500 delegates from the Asia Pacific region will be represented at the conference, which will focus on key ICT trends, policies and regulations.
“Conferences like this provide an important opportunity to discuss the economic, social and cultural opportunities that ICT provides, to challenge existing thinking about how we utilise the connected world and to question what we need to do better,” Ms Adams says.
More than 470,000 fewer phone books will be delivered in Auckland this year, after the Government agreed to the trial of a new opt-in system for the White Pages directory, Communications and Information Technology and Environment Minister Amy Adams says.
Following government approval in March, Yellow, the company which puts together the White Pages, allowed Aucklanders to choose if they wanted to receive a printed copy this year.
Only about four per cent of Auckland households have chosen to receive a printed version.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has today announced that work to build a high-speed fibre broadband network is to start in Upper Hutt, the Kapiti Coast, Levin, and Gisborne.
Ms Adams joined the Government’s Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) partner, Chorus, at an event in Paraparaumu this morning to mark the start of the project in the four deployment areas.
Work begins today in Upper Hutt, Levin and Gisborne, while the Kapiti Coast gets underway on June 20.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has today released a consultation document for the upcoming auction of the 700 MHz band of radio spectrum.
The 700 MHz band is the spectrum freed up by the switchover to digital television. It can be used in the building of fourth generation (4G) mobile networks, capable of speeds up to ten times faster than today’s networks.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has welcomed the release of a draft code of practice to improve the transparency of broadband product information for consumers.
The code has been developed by the Telecommunications Forum (TCF) in response to a request from Ms Adams that improvements be made to make broadband offerings easier to understand and compare.
It sets expectations for telecommunications companies to provide a consistent set of information to consumers about broadband plans.
The latest quarterly report on the Government’s Ultra-Fast Broadband and Rural Broadband programmes shows good progress was made in the first three months of this year.
The report released by Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams shows nearly 1500 schools are able to access the Government’s ultra-fast broadband network.
In addition, 26 of the most remote schools in New Zealand now have access to broadband capable of peak speeds of at least 10 megabits per second, which is about four times faster than previous services.
A Bill that will modernise telecommunications security legislation passed its first reading in parliament today, Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams says.
The Telecommunications (Interception Capability and Security) Bill will ensure the legislation remains effective in a rapidly-changing telecommunications environment.
The Bill will replace the current Telecommunications (Interception Capability) Act 2004, following a review that started in 2011.
The Government has today released the final draft of a Bill that will modernise telecommunications security legislation.
The draft Telecommunications (Interception Capability and Security) Bill was released by Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams after Cabinet approved it today. The Bill will be introduced to the House later this week.
The Bill will replace the current Telecommunications (Interception Capability) Act 2004, following a review that started in 2011.
Arranging fibre installation for Ultra-Fast Broadband in apartments and office buildings will be more straightforward in future, thanks to a new code of practice.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has today released a Code of Access to Multi-Unit Complexes. The Code sets out basic processes for property owners and fibre deployment companies to follow when installing and servicing fibre networks in buildings with multiple owners.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has announced the Government plans to modernise the Telecommunications (Interception Capability) Act 2004 to ensure it remains effective in a rapidly-changing telecommunications environment, and also intends to create a new formalised network security regime.
The proposed changes relate to obligations for telecommunications companies, and are focused on modernising the existing interception capability regime and introducing a formal and transparent framework for network security.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has today paid tribute to 2degrees chief executive Eric Hertz.
Hundreds of hearing impaired people are set to benefit from a new Government-funded telephone service, Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams says.
From tomorrow, for the first time in New Zealand, a hearing impaired person will be able to use a captioned telephone service.
With the help of a specially-designed Captel phone, hearing impaired people will be able to talk to someone, and then be able to read word-for-word captions of the other person’s response.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams today welcomed the news that the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has received the 2013 Spectrum for Mobile Broadband Award at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
“This award demonstrates New Zealand’s ability to set international best practice. Being recognized on the international stage is a tremendous accomplishment and I want to congratulate the dedicated spectrum management team at MBIE for their work,” Ms Adams says.
Deployment of the Government’s ultra-fast broadband and rural broadband programmes continue to make good progress, Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams says.
The latest quarterly report on the programmes shows fibre was rolled out to more than 33,000 end users across New Zealand during the last three months of 2012.
This means more than 134,000 homes and businesses in urban areas are now able to connect to the Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) network under the Government’s fibre-to-the-home programme.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has confirmed that it is the Government’s intention to allocate the digital dividend radio spectrum in the third quarter of this year.
The allocation of the 700 MHz band of spectrum will allow the building of fourth generation (4G) mobile networks using the spectrum freed up by the switchover to digital television, enabling mobile broadband speeds up to ten times faster than today’s speeds.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has welcomed an announcement by telecommunications company Ericsson that it will build a fibre ducting manufacturing facility in Wellington.
Ericsson is investing about $15 million in a new facility in Porirua which will be built and in production later this year, creating about 30 jobs.
The plant will produce optical fibre ducting for Chorus as part of the Government’s Ultra-Fast Broadband Initiative (UFB), and potentially also for export to the Asia-Pacific region.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has announced the completion and findings of a technical review of the 111 emergency calling service.
The review covered the operation of the service to the point where calls are handed over by Telecom to emergency service providers. It did not cover the response of emergency service providers to 111 calls.
“The review shows the service is working well, however, we need to ensure it is well positioned to adapt to changing technology and needs,” Ms Adams says.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has announced that two scheduled reviews of the regulatory framework for telecommunications services are to begin immediately.
The Government’s commitment to improving rural connectivity now means residents, businesses and tourists on Great Barrier Island can abandon frustrating dial-up speeds and access faster technology, Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams says.
The island’s first wireless broadband tower was officially launched today by Prime Minister John Key, as part of the Government’s $300-million Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI).
