Dunedin's level of connection to ultra-fast broadband fibre cable needs to be ''much higher, much earlier'', the chairman of a Dunedin trust working with Chorus on the city's Gigatown plan says.
Digital Community Trust chairman Peter Hills said representatives of the telecommunications infrastructure company were in Dunedin this week discussing the future of the initiative.
He said both the trust and the company wanted to do something about what he described as ''the community's biggest grumble''.
''You can't call yourself a Gigatown if you've only got 40% of the town covered with UFB (ultra-fast broadband).''
The trust emerged from Dunedin's digital strategy, which the Dunedin City Council approved in 2010.
At the time, it was decided the organisation that managed the strategy should sit outside the council.
The trust was an independent body, but interacted with the council.
Mr Hills has been chairman since March, and dealt with Chorus representatives on Monday. They were in the city to talk to the trust about implementing Dunedin's Gigatown win.
The win means ultrafast 1Gbps broadband at a cheaper rate for three years, and funding for $700,000 of UFB-related initiatives.
Mr Hills said there were ''a bunch of things we talked about over a whole day, really to get our heads around `are we on the same song sheet?'.
''We are, but they're big things.''
Mr Hills said a launch of the implementation process was planned for February 25 next year, when Chorus and the trust would say what was available at that time, and what was coming.
He said there were ''very definitely'' discussions about the number of homes that had access to fibre cable.
''Both sides are aware we'd like to get that number much higher, much earlier than what is on the scheduled road map.
''There's some work that needs to be done there, before that can ever happen.
''We're working very hard to get a positive outcome there.
''We know the community has spoken, that that's the biggest grumble at the moment, and we'd like that to be dealt to.''
It would be clear on February 25 ''what would be available, to whom and where''.
There was a ''tidal wave'' of support for Gigatown'The trust had the plan put together to win Gigatown, and wanted to hear what the community wanted now the competition had been won.
It would dissect that plan, and look at other town's and city's plans to see if they had good ideas Dunedin could pick up on.
