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Hold the phone - no rural broadband decision today


Minister dismisses report that the MED has sent a recommendation to cabinet for its $300 million rural broadband tender.

Chris Keall
Tue, 01 Feb 2011

A Stuff/DominionPost this morning* said that the Ministry of Economic Development has reached a recommendation for the government's $300 million rural broadband initiative (RBI).

The MED was supposed to have reached its recommendation - for the joint Telecom/Vodafone - last week, and the government would announce the Telecom/Vodafone win this morning.

A spokeswoman for Communications Minister Steven Joyce's office told NBR that the DominionPost article was "misinformed".

"Nothing has gone to cabinet. We don't have a firm date for the announcement yet."

On Friday, Mr Joyce told NBR that he expected an update - but not necessarily its recommendation - from the MED in around two weeks.

Late last year, the government shortlisted three contenders for the RBI: the joint Telecom-Vodafone bid (still seen by NBR as a strong contender); a consortium consisting of Kordia, FX Networks and Woosh; and an iwi group called Torotoro Waea.

* Now updated.

Chris Keall
Tue, 01 Feb 2011
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Hold the phone - no rural broadband decision today
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