Telecom New Zealand is set to launch 700MHz Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology by the end of next month, with an initial switch-on at eleven sites in the Waikato region, including central Hamilton, Morrisonville and surrounding areas, according to Telegeography.com on July 15, 2014. Services will then be extended to other regions, Computerworld reports, including areas covered under the government’s Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI), which aims to improve broadband connectivity far from the main towns and cities.

While Telecom admits that there will be a lack of compatible devices able to run on the network at its launch, the firm says it expects to offer around ten devices to customers by the end of the year. The operator won 15MHz of paired 700MHz spectrum in a government auction last October, adding a further 2×5MHz block in January. It has been offering 1800MHz LTE services since November 2013, with coverage of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, but the new networks in the lower band will enable it to expand its coverage at a quicker rate.