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N4L taps Telecom for NZ school broadband rollout
By Stephanie McDonald
Network for Learning has opened registrations for organisations interested in taking advantage of the N4L network, which will deliver high-speed fibre broadband to New Zealand schools.
N4L also announced that Telecom New Zealand will will act as network services provider for the rollout. The network will cover approximately 800,000 students, according to N4L.
Telecom will deliver managed network services via its Gen-i business, including Internet access, security and content filtering for schools, which is expected to reduce bandwidth and cost as barriers to learning.
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N4L will also develop a portal for students to access educational content and services.
"Interactive, inquiry-based learning, supported by technology will help to make a difference to all students," John Hanna, N4L CEO, said. "It will help drive accelerated thinking, innovation, development of IP, educational achievement, and ultimately see young New Zealanders doing things that maybe haven't even been thought of yet."
A total of 640 schools across New Zealand can connect to Telecom's Ultra Fibre network. By the end of 2015, nearly 2500 schools will be able to connect to the network as the Ultra Fast Broadband and the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) continue to roll out.
"In partnering with N4L, Gen-i will leverage extensive experience in delivering high-quality products and services over fibre to help build what we believe will be the largest managed network in New Zealand," Tim Miles, Gen-i's CEO, said in a statement.
"We're committed to leveraging this fibre experience, our scale and nationwide community presence, to make N4L a success. We are also committed to investing over the long-term to ensure New Zealanders have ongoing access to a world class and affordable education network."
Simon Moutter, Telecom's CEO, said the partnership will leverage the New Zealand government's investment in UFB and RBI.
"[Network for Learning] will take New Zealand's education community towards an exciting new future, where technology is leveraged to enrich and broaden the learning experience," he said.
Follow Stephanie McDonald on Twitter: @stephmcdonald0