Wellington City Councillors have agreed to a vision that could see affordable, high-speed broadband access throughout the city by 2012.

A paper outlining the vision for faster broadband, and a proposal to adopt it and develop a plan to achieve it, was presented to Councillors at today's Strategy and Policy Committee meeting.

Councillors unanimously agreed to adopt the vision that by 2012, all of Wellington city will have affordable access to an open broadband network with sufficient two-way capacity in the city and out to the world to meet the ongoing information and communication needs of the city's residents, businesses, investors and institutions. This would improve:

• economic development; employment growth, new business creation, and attracting and retaining businesses
• healthcare; through services such as video nursing
• education; by connecting schools through video conferencing.
• work life balance; as more people can opt to work at home
• energy savings; by linking utility meters through broadband meaning users get information about their energy use
• democracy; by linking communities to City Council hearings and meetings via two-way video 
• entertainment options; including high definition TV.

Mayor Kerry Prendergast says the objective is to expand access to affordable, faster broadband for Wellington city residents. "Outside of the Wellington CBD there is limited access to high-speed, cheap broadband. This is extremely frustrating for many businesses and residential customers, many of whom work from home and are trying to compete in a global market.

Mayor Prendergast says the Council will ask potential industry partners to help develop ideas for implementing the vision. "This will determine the most appropriate business model, mix of technologies, technical details and financial options needed to achieve the vision.

"The Council has a key role to play in ensuring Wellington city has the necessary broadband infrastructure to be globally competitive. The Government has identified broadband as a priority with the expectation that each region or city takes the lead," says Mayor Prendergast.

Mayor Prendergast says the implementation of the broadband network would be done over several years.

The first stage could involve installing a ‘backbone' of around 100km of fibre across the city (connecting major buildings, libraries, medical centres, schools and major private sector businesses). Once this was in place, extensions could be made from the fibre backbone to every neighbourhood in the city. Indicative costs for these two stages are up to $40m and will depend on the extent to which this network generates revenue from access charges, the possible use of the overhead trolley network and existing ducts, and opportunities for cost savings by using opportunities from other road opening activity.

"These costs are indicative only as several costing options will be explored, including a mix of private/public partnerships and user pays," says Mayor Prendergast. 

"Wellington is already highly connected with 51 percent of the Wellington population having a broadband connection, and with another 37 percent having dial-up access. This provides confidence that the demand for broadband exists to a sufficient scale that the private sector will view broadband in Wellington as a viable and attractive investment.

"Once we have collaborated with potential industry partners, the Council will be in a position to decide what degree of involvement and investment it needs to take."

A further report on options for implementing the vision will be presented to the Strategy and Policy Committee by June 2007.

Related Links

• Projects - High Speed Broadband Access

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