New Zealand’s largest telco Spark has switched on 4.5G mobile services in Cromwell in the Otago region, making the town the latest capable of getting the fastest mobile data speeds in the country.
The launch of 4.5G in Cromwell follows other single-tower deployments covering limited areas in the Christchurch CBD, along with the activation of a cluster of five towers in Queenstown, making a total of 10 sites.
And Spark has indicated it will rollout 4.5G to 10 more towns in New Zealand over the next 10 months.
The upgrade in Cromwell puts the Spark network slightly ahead of devices, with no commercially modems or phones supporting the entire range and combination of 4.5G features available at the moment. However, most new high-end phones support many 4.5G features, with the potential to propel their speeds to between three and five times faster than regular 4G.
{loadposition peter}Spark’s General Manager of Networks, Colin Brown says the launch will also deliver plenty of new capacity, allowing Cromwell residents to benefit from Wireless Broadband as an alternative to fixed-line services for low to moderate data users of home broadband.
“4.5G is an important part of our strategy because it helps us prepare for a 5G future today, keeping up with the changes in the ways people will use wireless technology over the next few years.
“Because 4.5G combines a range of radio spectrum and uses it more efficiently, we can provide more capacity and speed to our customers, allowing them to do more.”
Brown says Spark is committed to providing the important infrastructure that New Zealand needs to compete in the new digital economy, and “intends to continue to deliver more 4.5G around the country with the delivery of 10 towns around NZ in the next 12 months”.