New Zealand operator 2degrees has launched 5G services in Nelson, Oamaru, Greymouth, Gore and Masterton as it ramps up its 5G rollout across the country. The telco said in a press release that it has 5G deployments scheduled in many more areas, with plans to reach 50 towns by mid-2024. Launched in February 2022, the company’s 5G services now cover areas of Oamaru, Nelson, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Palmerston North, Whangarei, Rotorua, Masterton, Greymouth, Napier, Hamilton, Tauranga, Gore and Cromwell.
‘We continue to roll out 5G at pace. The access to longer term 3.5GHz spectrum rights allocated by the government this year, and the certainty this has provided is supporting continued development of New Zealand’s world class mobile networks and means we can invest with confidence,’ 2degrees CEO Mark Callander said. He added that the operator’s 5G coverage in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch is also well advanced. ‘I’m proud of what the network team has achieved in the three main centres. A comparison between the main telco’s coverage maps shows 2degrees has a wider reach with 5G in our major cities.’
Callander also said that August saw new records for the most international visitors roaming on its network since the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘Inbound roaming figures are at a two-year peak, double the number of visitors from this time last year, which is double from the year before. The numbers have been steadily rising post COVID, flattened post summer, and then ramped up in the past two months – which we attribute to visitors coming to New Zealand for the World Cup.’
Source: https://www.commsupdate.com/articles/2023/08/30/2degrees-expands-5g-coverage/