Vodafone has announced it will launch its 5G network in New Zealand this December. The service will initially be available in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. This announcement coincides with the completion of the sale of Vodafone New Zealand to Brookfield and Infratil, and follows Vodafone’s recent rollout of 5G in the UK, Italy, Spain and Germany.
Vodafone also reports it is already working alongside a number of business partners to understand “how 5G can improve the lives of New Zealanders”. The operator’s first four partners are NZ Police, BNZ, Auckland’s Rescue Helicopter and Waste Management. They have agreed to work with Vodafone and its existing partners Nokia, Microsoft, and IBM, to support the launch of 5G services on the local market.
Vodafone New Zealand mobile customers will have access to 5G tariff plans for no additional charge. However, the operator plans to charge a premium for 5G in the future.
The New Zealand government recently announced that the first allocation of 5G spectrum in the country will be the 3.5 GHz band, with national rights to this portion of the spectrum expected to be auctioned early in 2020. Spectrum will be progressively allocated, and companies can start rolling out 5G from 2020, the government also said.
