Telecom adds gigabit Wifi to hotspot network

Telecom NZ is about to push the accelerator on its nationwide Wifi hotspot network.

It will add gigabit Wifi sites in high traffic locations.

The company says the so-called hero sites will be in railway stations, airports and other places with high data demand.

Gigabit Wi-fi coming to a town near you

Telecom NZ says it will reward towns with the fast WiFi hotspots as the prizes in a competition like the Chorus’ Gigatown promotion.

It hasn’t decided the competition details yet. But it will coat-tail the GigaTown brand as GigaWiFi. The competition  aims to create more user interest in the company’s wi-fi network.

Giga-this, giga-that

As the name suggests, there is a link between the two campaigns

Ed Hyde from Telecom Digital Ventures — the business unit handling the WiFi hotspot network — says the two are complimentary because WiFi expands the fibre network’s reach.

He says the benefits run both ways: “Having good fibre connectivity is essential to realising the full potential of WiFi.”

Singing from the Chorus song sheet

Chorus’s Gigatown promotion increased user interest in the company’s fibre network. It gives Chorus a positive news story at a time the company faces criticism over the so-called ‘copper tax‘.

Telecom NZ says the GigaTown winner will also get a GigaWiFi hotspot.

Until recently mobile carriers regarded public WiFi networks as a competitive threat. Two things changed that. First, carriers realised WiFi does a great job offloading heavy-duty data traffic.

Second, WiFi is  a low-cost network add-on. Hotspots are cheaper to equip than cell towers and involve less planning paperwork. Cellular equipment makers are now adding WiFi to their kit.

Telecom NZ says the 1 Gbps WiFi delivers data faster than existing hotspots. It uses fifth generation WiFi. This is the 802.11ac standard which is backwards compatible with existing 802.11n devices. Some recent phones – although not iPhones – support the new standard and will be able to use the faster speeds.