Otago Digital Strategy Survey

Clutha Country led the charge on the issue of digital infrastructure and service provision by undertaking its own district-wide digital survey in late 2011/early 2012. The Clutha survey is now essentially being used as template to build a clearer picture of the digital needs and challenges of the wider Otago region.

For more information on the Otago-wide Digital Strategy Survey currently being undertaken, please click here.

Clutha Digital Strategy Survey

From 9 December 2011 to 15 January 2012, a total of 1,242 Clutha Country residents took part in an online and postal survey regarding their internet usage at home and at work.

The survey asked about issues such as internet access, speed, community capability and cost of service provision.

The document below presents the survey's findings.

Clutha District Council Digital Survey Results February 2012 (PDF, 1MB, opens new window)

Rural Broadband Initiative - Presentation to Clutha District Council from Chorus and Vodafone (PDF, 1.2MB, opens new window)

This presentation by Chorus and Vodafone to Council outlines the situation as at 23 Feb 2012 regarding to Clutha’s positioning in relation to the Government’s Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) and Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) roll outs.

2012 is “year 2” under the scheme and some RBI work has already been completed in the district. The larger communities of the Clutha district sit within “Zone 3” and the rollout for this is to be announced in the next few months. Chorus advised that the Government has contracted work, including Zone 3, to be completed at latest by 2015.

New cell towers will be installed in Kaitangata and Owaka with work beginning on these in the next 12 months. Additionally upgrades of existing cell sites in Balclutha, Clinton, Lawrence, Milton and Mt Stuart, scheduled for 2014, will provide speed enhancements to enable wireless broadband services.

New and upgraded cell sites will be ‘open access’ and this will provide opportunities for local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and for competition in Broadband service provision.

A successful application to the Vodafone Community Cell Site Scheme will see two cell sites established in the north and south of The Catlins, with scoping work beginning in March 2012. There will be the potential to upgrade these mobile phone sites in future to enable wireless broadband services under Vodafone’s regular site upgrade plans.

For more details about the Government’s RBI and UFB objectives please visit the Ministry of Economic Development website