Rural mobile gains, Kordia expands, Spark targets kids tech

Rural mobile faster but urban gap remains

A report by UK-based Opensignal says the gap between rural and urban mobile experiences is closing. It warns the arrival of 5G mobile could muddy that picture.

Opensignal says while disparities between rural and urban mobile remain rural mobile is improving. The report says this is "... likely as a result of government and operator efforts."

The proportion of time rural users spend connected to 4G networks has increased at a faster rate than the improvement in urban areas. Although rural comes from a lower base.

Customers on the Vodafone network saw the gap between urban and rural time on 4G networks fall 4.8 percent. For Spark users the drop was 5.8 percent. At 2degrees it fell 7 percent.

Rural mobile availability improving

Opensignal says before the Covid lockdown 4G availability for rural users was close to 25 percent behind urban levels. Now it sits at around 17 to 18 percent behind.

The report goes on to compare the mobile experience with different types of use. It says only 2degrees urban customers enjoy an excellent video experience. The company's rural customers do better than Vodafone's urban customers.

Meanwhile the mobile games experience is underwhelming everywhere. The three carriers deliver a 'fair' gaming experience in urban areas. This drops to 'poor' outside the towns and cities.

Opensignal scores for rural download and upload speeds are a long way behind urban speeds. Spark is fastest overall. Its urban customers can download at an average of 41.9Mbps. In rural New Zealand, 2degrees' customers get less than half that speed: 20.2Mbps.

The report concludes that if carriers use 5G on lower frequency bands in rural areas, the performance gap with urban mobile would close. If they choose to focus on high capacity, high frequencies in the cities, then the gap will open again.

Regulator delays Chorus fibre asset decision

The Commerce Commission says it will spend more time deciding how much Chorus will be able to earn from regulated fibre services.

To get there the commission needs to decide what assets Chorus owned before it began building its fibre network can be included. It will use this to work out Chorus's losses during the un-profitable build stage of the UFB project.

A question over different estimates that need to be considered, means the commission won't meet its target of finishing its calculations by the end of this month. Instead, it now aims to have the asset base figure ready in November.

Kordia expands with Base2 IT acquisition

Kordia has acquired Base2, a managed IT company specialising in Microsoft products and services. The move gives Kordia a more complete workplace offering that includes cloud and online security. Base2's 30 staff will join Kordia as an independent business unit.

Chorus backs Māori mental health tech study

Chorus will fund University of Auckland research into Clearhead, a mental health support system. The 12-month research project will examine barriers to Māori using an online tool to support mental health and wellbeing. Māori face a disproportionately higher rate of mental health distress but are less likely to seek help. Clearhead intends to fix this by offering an alternative that will also be available in the reo Māori.

Ōmāio broadband connection marks 400th marae

A total of 400 marae now have broadband thanks to a government programme. Ōmāio marae in the Bay of Plenty is the latest connection.

RSM seeks feedback on mmWave band use

A number of existing licences in the 26GHz and 28GHz bands expire next year which will free up bands telcos would like allocated for 5G mobile services. The frequencies are also used for satellite communications. As the government prepares a possible mmWave auction, Radio Spectrum Management wants to hear potential users' views on these bands.

For now, RSM proposes to offer 26GHz for mobile and fixed wireless broadband. The 28GHz band is earmarked for satellite with allowances for fixed wireless and private mobile networks.

Copa América 2021 to stream on Spark Sport

Spark Sport has exclusive New Zealand broadcast rights to the Copa América 2021 tournament that takes place from June 13 to July 10. The cup features 28 games between South American national teams.

Spark launches kid tracking smartwatch

Spark is selling the Spacetalk Adventurer, a 4G smart watch for children aged 5 to 12. It's a brightly coloured $370 wrist phone-computer that allows children to stay in touch with other family members when they don't have a mobile phone. It also has GPS so parents can track a child's whereabouts. The connection plan costs $8 and provided NZ calling, data and text.