March 20, 2018
Round five of spectrum generation battle
The Government could face a challenge as it tries to decide how to manage the roll out of the fifth generation of radio spectrum.
Spark New Zealand yesterday launched a pilot programme in Wellington of a 5G network running data speeds of 9.2 gigabits per second and 2.6 gigabits per second on the two bandwidths used for the technology.
The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment has released a discussion document on the technology, including a promise the government will consider the Crown's Treaty of Waitangi obligations and engage with Maori in the coming months.
Under the previous Government communications minister Amy Adams refused to allocate any 4G spectrum for Maori, despite Waitangi Tribunal and High Court findings on why it would have been the right thing to do.
As consolation she created a $30 million fund to provide grants for Maori digital innovation and training.
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