Telecom and Vodafone have released a joint statement saying how pleased they are that their joint bid was selected earlier today for commercial negotiations.
The companies say their proposal will deliver the quickest possible results.
“A fast start will come from building out from the investment both parties have already made in fibre, mobile and fixed line networks,” the statement read.
Both parties trump an “open access approach” to the joint bid, which will allow other operators to access the infrastructure on equal terms.
“This will provide strong retail competition from different technologies and service providers and a real choice of solutions and providers for rural New Zealanders,” the statement continued.
The joint statement also made a point of noting that “both companies will continue to compete fiercely for rural customers”.
Update: Gen-i has offered this statement on the benefits for its clients:
2011 is the year in which new fibre and mobile networks will be built across rural and metro New Zealand. The real challenge now facing the ICT industry and business is how we turn that infrastructure into economic return.
This will be achieved by enabling Government services, supporting export-driven companies and making New Zealand more productive, with applications and collaboration delivered over these new networks.
Gen-i’s rural market vision is to provide New Zealand's rural and regional companies with integrated technology solutions nationwide that enable economic growth and bring prosperity to the New Zealand economy.
We are working with rural and regional businesses to develop ICT solutions that address the key business issues they face, deliver real outcomes and create economic value for the country.
RBI is helping to accelerate this outcome by creating a high-speed broadband infrastructure that will accelerate information exchange up and down primary industry value chains, and provide the sector with access to a wider range of technologies and services.
We’ll continue to consult with rural businesses and stakeholders to identify and develop ICT solutions that help achieve economic value.
