Locals and businesses in the Hot Water Beach and Kuaotunu areas will now enjoy improved broadband services under the Government's Rural Broadband Initiative.

New Zealand's largest telecommunications infrastructure company Chorus has now completed upgrading 133 broadband cabinets across the Waikato since the broadband initiative started.

Telecommunications infrastructure company Chorus has now completed upgrading broadband cabinets in Hot Water Beach and Kuaotunu, as part of the Government's Rural broadband Initiative. Photo: Chorus

The improved broadband services in Hot Water Beach and Kuaotunu have been welcomed by Coromandel MP Scott Simpson.

'Local people have been patiently waiting longer than I wanted but I'm sure the improved service will be appreciated now it's here,” says Scott.

'Better access to faster broadband is something that's raised with me often. It's great news that Chorus have upgraded equipment for Hotwater Beach and Kuaotunu.”

He believes improved broadband is crucial to growing the Coromandel's local economy and ensuring people have access to a fast and reliable service means more opportunities for the community.

Scott is also vowing to continue pushing for further broadband improvements in the region.

'I'm completely committed to ensuring we get our fair share of the nationwide funding for further upgrades.”

Before the cabinet upgrades, broadband speeds of between 1 Megabytes per second and 5Mbps could be accessed in Hot Water Beach and Kuaotunu, and considerably slower speeds during peak times.

Following the upgrade, residents and businesses should now experience speeds of between 10Mbps and 20Mbps, depending on the distance to the broadband cabinet.

Residents who live within about 1km of their cabinet should be able to access a VDSL broadband service with speeds in excess of 20 Mbps – the fastest service over Chorus' existing copper network.

The work in the Waikato region is part of Chorus' involvement in the Government's Rural Broadband Initiative.

As part of this work, Chorus is upgrading about 1200 broadband cabinets in rural areas throughout New Zealand.

The estimated cost of Chorus' RBI work is in the range of $280-$295 million, with Chorus contributing 15-20 per cent of the cost.

Map showing Hot Water Beach area covered by latest RBI upgrades. Image: Chorus

Map showing Kuaotunu area covered by latest RBI upgrades. Image: Chorus