The agreement will last 10 years and makes Vodafone Pacific Fibre’s biggest New Zealand customer to date.
Pacific Fibre is planning to build a cable system connecting New Zealand and Australia to the US, which is scheduled to launch in early 2014.
Vodafone New Zealand’s CEO Russell Stanners explained that the entrance of another cable system will bring much needed competition to the international bandwidth market. “By partnering with an innovative, entrepreneurial business such as Pacific Fibre, we’re helping to break down the digital divide between New Zealand and the rest of the world,” he said.
According to Telegeography, between 2002 and 2010 the demand for international capacity in Australasia grew by 55%. This figure is expected to keep rising as the number of devices connecting to the internet increases.
“It’s like parking New Zealand off the west coast of America, removing the tyranny of distance,” said Sir Stephen Tindall, Pacific Fibre co-founder. “It will help foster future innovation and greater economic development for New Zealand.”
In July this year Pacific Fibre secured a $75 million contract with New Zealand’s research and education network, REANNZ. To read Capacity’s full coverage of this story click here.
