Releases | Page 2 | Hon Simon Bridges

TVNZ board appointments

Communications

Fri 28 Apr 2017

Communications Minister Simon Bridges today announced a number of appointments to the Television New Zealand Ltd (TVNZ) board. Dame Therese Walsh has been appointed as the new Chair. Dame Therese has been Deputy Chair since 2015 and a Director since 2012. She replaces outgoing Chair Joan Withers who has served on the TVNZ Board since 2009. ...

Telco property access bill passes third reading

Communications

Tue 11 Apr 2017

A bill that will streamline the process for installing Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) passed its third and final reading in Parliament today. Communications Minister Simon Bridges says the Telecommunications (Property Access and Other Matters) Amendment Bill will make it faster and easier for people to connect to high-speed internet. ...

New national cyber security unit launched

Communications

Tue 11 Apr 2017

Communications Minister Simon Bridges today launched CERT NZ, a new cyber security unit that will help New Zealanders respond to online threats. CERT NZ was announced as part of Budget 2016, receiving $22.2 million of funding over four years. It will serve as the first place for New Zealanders to report a cyber incident. “Secure, dependable ICT infrastructure is more important than ever before. New Zealand’s economic growth, productivity and international competitiveness are increasingly underpinned by digital technology,” says Mr Bridges. ...

Radio spectrum fees reduced

Communications

Tue 11 Apr 2017

Communications Minister Simon Bridges today announced a reduction in radio spectrum fees and a simplified regime, to come into effect later this year. The changes will reduce the average annual fee for a licence from around $200 to $150 (including GST). They will also make the fees regime simpler by reducing the number of fee categories from 47 to four. “The new regime is much simpler and fairer for licence holders,” Mr Bridges says. ...

Digital sector and Government alliance launched

Communications

Fri 31 Mar 2017

Communications Minister Simon Bridges has today welcomed the launch of a digital sector and government alliance to explore the economic and social benefits of the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is a concept that involves connecting devices to the internet, enabling them to ‘talk’ to each other and to people. For example, smartphones might prompt people to take a specific route to an event because it has access to their current location and calendar. ...

Trans-Tasman cable improves connectivity

Communications

Thu 30 Mar 2017

Communications Minister Simon Bridges has welcomed today’s announcement that the Tasman Global Access cable is up and running, enhancing New Zealand’s telecommunications resilience and global connectivity. Running between Raglan and Sydney, the new standalone cable will provide an alternative to the trans-Tasman section of the Southern Cross Cable, which is the main international cable that currently carries the majority of internet traffic to and from New Zealand. ...

NZ cyber security strategy tracking well

Communications

Thu 23 Mar 2017

The government released its first report on the implementation of New Zealand’s Cyber Security Strategy and Action Plan today. New Zealand’s Cyber Security Strategy, Action Plan, and National Plan to Address Cybercrime were launched in December 2015. The first Annual Report sets out progress under the four goals of the Strategy: achieving cyber resilience; building cyber capability; addressing cybercrime; and enhancing international cooperation. ...

$400m Huawei investment will promote innovation and create opportunities

Communications | Economic Development

Wed 22 Mar 2017

A major investment announced by Huawei today will support our efforts to build an innovative, world leading economy, Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges and Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith say. Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer, Huawei, has announced it will commit up to $400 million over five years to research and development and digital innovation in New Zealand. Highlights of the investment include: ...

New Zealand broadband speeds continue to surge

Communications

Thu 16 Mar 2017

Communications Minister Simon Bridges has welcomed Akamai’s latest State of the Internet Report which shows that average connection speeds in New Zealand have increased by 38 per cent since 2015. The Report shows that in the fourth quarter of 2016, the average connection speed had increased to 12.9 Megabits per second (Mbps) – a significant leap from the previous year. ...

4G coverage available to 90 per cent of Kiwis

Communications

Thu 16 Mar 2017

Ninety per cent of New Zealanders now have access to 4G cellular mobile services – two years earlier than anticipated, Communications Minister Simon Bridges announced today. The Minister thanked telecommunications companies Vodafone and Spark for their efforts in quickly rolling out their 4G networks. ...

UFB uptake up 13 per cent in the last quarter

Communications

Wed 15 Feb 2017

Communications Minister Simon Bridges says 31 per cent of New Zealanders with access to Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) are now connected, up 13 per cent in the last three months. The December 2016 Quarterly Broadband Update released today shows the number of households, business, schools and hospitals connected to UFB has increased from 288,790 to 327,864 since September 2016. ...

Next steps for Telco Review announced

Communications

Fri 10 Feb 2017

Communications Minister Simon Bridges today confirmed details of the Government’s new approach to regulating fixed line communications services from 2020, and released a consultation paper which seeks feedback on the regulation of the copper network. “We need a modern communications regime that reflects our increasingly digital world and that delivers better broadband for New Zealanders,” Mr Bridges says. ...