Today is a significant day for Tauranga, but the significance won't be understood until in time people are able to look back on it, says Communications Minister Amy Adams.

She was speaking at the opening at Baycourt today of the two-day Broadband Expo celebrating the completion of the government's Ultra-fast Broadband roll-out in Tauranga.

Communications Minister Amy Adams speaking with exhibitors at the Broadband expo.

Tauranga which is the 15^th urban area where the fibre-optic rollout is completed has the third highest uptake in New Zealand.

'At the end of January, almost a quarter of the 54,600 homes and businesses in Tauranga which could connect to UFB had done so,” says Amy.

The UFB rollout in Tauranga started in August 2011, and total investment in the build exceeds $75 million. All thirty-nine schools in Tauranga are now able to connect to UFB, and nearly all of them have taken up a service with the Network for Learning, says Amy.

'UFB offers the opportunity for New Zealanders to make the most of improving business productivity and connectivity, smarter ways to receive health care, and ensures our youngest New Zealanders are competing on the world stage while studying,” says Amy.

The 15 towns receiving the fibre roll out are heartland New Zealand, not main centres where the transformation brought about by access to ultra-fast fibre will be more significant than in the mian centres that already have good communications, says Amy.

It also means that Tauranga is no longer disadvantaged by not being Sydney, London or New York. People can live in Tauranga, base a business in Tauranga.

'Welcome to the end of the beginning.”

The nationwide UFB build is now 60 per cent complete, with over 875,000 New Zealanders now able to connect to the network.

Work on the Tauranga Ultra-Fast Broadband network began in August 2011, and has resulted in the completion of about 680 km of underground drilling and 94km of fibre infrastructure across the city.

'We are very proud to have completed building the fibre network here in Tauranga,” says Ultrafast Fibre CEO, William Hamilton.

'With nearly 55,000 end users now able to connect and high demand for UFB services, we look forward to seeing the truly innovative things that Tauranga does with access to the new technology.”

The network build is like putting the roads in, the infrastructure, says William. Now Tauranga residenst are presented with the huge advantages of getting ‘fibred up' over the next few years, particularly while the connection to the house was still free.

'Through the government initiative that cost is born by us,” says William.

The way the world is heading very fast broadband connections are going to be required for a number of household applications.

And there are fibre prices that are cheaper than copper, says William.

'There are solar companies offering free home security because they can put the cameras in. You need a fibre connection to do that. The fibre/mobile connections is also opening up new possibilities for home security.

'My grandkids don't talk to me now unless they can see me,” says William. 'Video conferencing, that was unknown – Star Trek. Now that is well supported with fibre. They only live in Auckland.”

The two-day ‘Beyond Broadband' Expo at Baycourt allows locals to discover first-hand how UFB can transform their online experience, and how they can get connected through their retail service provider, says William.

Mayor Stuart Crosby says he is delighted the UFB build is complete and looks forward to the opportunities the technology will provide for Tauranga.

"Our Council wants to encourage the community to make the most of this new network and what it enables,” says the Mayor.

'Access to UFB is a significant step forward for Tauranga in its journey to becoming a world-class city.”