New Zealand telecommunications giant Telecom has launched its next generation ‘Ultra Fibre’ service, offering speeds of up to 100Mbps download/up to 50 Mbps upload.

The release of the service sees Telecom vying for supremacy of New Zealand’s Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) rollout, with Telecom now offering its service to 100,000 homes.

The roll-out of UFB to 75% of New Zealanders by 2020 is a Government-led initiative with four UFB partners currently installing fibre optical cabling across the country

Telecom’s CEO Retail, Chris Quin, says the release of Ultra Fibre comes at a pivotal point in telecommunications in New Zealand.

“We’re going through a major connectivity transformation and Telecom is here to assist customers navigate what is essentially an exciting new world with a data future,” Mr Quin said.

“Over the past year, broadband data usage among our customers has increased by over 70%, placing greater demands on existing broadband and mobile technology and demonstrating the growing role data plays in our lives.”