How did rural broadband in Waikato and Bay of Plenty do in 2019?

2019 was a great year for rural broadband providers, especially WISPs or Wireless Internet Service Providers. The market in Waikato and Bay of Plenty, New Zealand is held by Vodafone-Farmside, Wireless Nation, Lightwire and Chorus.

Vodafone has a presence throughout New Zealand, with packages starting from $105/month for 120GB. The nationwide provider claims to have connected over 30,500 homes by the end of 2019 and offers 3G and 4G. Wireless Nation also has a very similar product offering with packages starting from $79/month and a national presence.

However, the clear winner in terms of WISPs in 2019 throughout Waikato and Bay of Plenty, New Zealand is Lightwire. The rural broadband specialist has seen some staggering numbers, and to just give you a hint, they connected an average of 17 homes per day, every day throughout 2019!

Some quick facts about Lightwire in 2019:

· 6300+ customers

· 724 new customers since January 2019

· 1099 new installs completed in 2019

· 70 average jobs per week for field installers

· 3,610 work hours

· 72 RBI2 site upgrades completed

· 229 total sites visited

· 20 full sites on old M5 technology

· Zero recordable injuries

Lightwire is seen as thought leaders in the IT sector – have a read through their blog here. Lightwire are leaders in WISP because of great broadband speed as well as customer service. With over 7000 connected houses, they have seen issues and more importantly have solutions. If you require Rural Broadband for Waikato or Bay of Plenty, get in touch with Lightwire.