Joyce on Vector and UFB priority negotiations

The Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Steven Joyce, says Crown Fibre Holdings’ announcement that it has elected to negotiate with Vector for the roll out of Ultra Fast Broadband in Auckland is another positive development for the project.

Vector was short-listed for the UFB Initiative in September 2010, but will now enter into prioritised negotiations with Crown Fibre Holdings (CFH), the organisation responsible for the Government’s investment in UFB.

Telecom is also in prioritised negotiations for Auckland and much of the rest of the country.

“The government has always been keen on a competitive process that will deliver the best value for taxpayers and the best outcome for users,” says Mr Joyce.

“Vector and CFH have now got to the point where they can enter advanced negotiations. This means we now have two strong candidates in the picture for Auckland.”

Mr Joyce says he is pleased that negotiations continue to progress and that bidders continue to step up.

“This is a very exciting time for telecommunications in this country and I am confident that CFH will deliver the best result for New Zealanders,” says Mr Joyce.

Crown Fibre Holding’s announcement today follows the confirmation of other parties prioritised for negotiations last year. They are:

Alpine Energy for Timaru
Enable Networks for Christchurch and Rangiora
Flute Joint Venture represented by Aurora Energy Ltd for Dunedin
Telecom for 25 candidate areas, including Auckland
In December, Northpower and UltraFast Fibre Limited were confirmed as partners with the Government to rollout out ultra fast broadband in Northland and in the central North Island (respectively).