One of the most popular and remote areas of Fiordland will be better connected with the rest of the country after nearly two years of work and about 120km of fibre cable.
Chorus - in partnership with Crown Infrastructure Partners (CIP), the Rural Connectivity Group (RCG) and Ventia - announced the completion of a fibre back-haul link between Te Anau and Milford Sound last week.
The Government announced the project would be funded through the Provincial Growth Fund in 2018 and contractors started the work in August 2020.
Digital Economy and Communications Minister Ginny Andersen was pleased with the completion of an important project for the region.
"This crucial link is in one of the most remote but also one of the most beautiful parts of New Zealand, so it’s great to have connectivity there for tourists and for Kiwis who live there as well."
The best thing about it was the safety aspect, she said.
"It was something that everyone was waiting for. Not only for emergencies but also for people when their car has broken down."
She remembered once she went to rescue a tourist who ran out of petrol.
He struggled to get cellphone service and had to walk many kilometres until he was able to ask for help, she said.
"Having this connection is exciting but if people want to still have the feeling of being disconnected, they can put their phones on aeroplane mode and have that experience.
"It is good to have this choice."
It would significantly reduce the number of mobile black spots along this busy stretch of road, he said.
"When I visited the Ventia team building the link earlier this year, a bus driver told me that whenever there’s an accident, they often have to drive half an hour before they can get back in range to report it.
"Having fibre along this route to Milford Sound will significantly increase coverage and safety along the road."
Ventia project director Hilton Way said the 30 people who worked in the project faced challenges, as the geology of the area was often bounded by cliffs, steep slopes, or thick rainforest - and extreme weather.
"The weather was a constant factor to consider, not only making the work hard, but sometimes impossible."
