Dunedin's gigabit roll-out needs to be faster

The issues raised by Dean Hall (ODT, 20.5.15) around the roll-out of the gigabit network highlights both the opportunities and the challenges Dunedin faces as it looks to its future, writes businessman Ian Taylor.

What the Gigatown competition did was help to focus people, not only in Dunedin but right throughout Otago, on the opportunities that being connected to each other, and the world, could bring.

There is no question that having high-speed interconnectivity is essential to the future, not just of Dunedin, but of the country as a whole.

Dean is an example of how fast that world is moving and the direction it is taking.

Businesses like his do not expect to have to wait for three months to get connected, or worse still, have someone actually respond to his issues.

The fact it was social media that activated a response is also a sign of the changing face of business.

As an aside, I took a leaf from Dean's book and posed a similar question on Twitter.

Here in London, halfway around the world, I have already been reassured that someone from Chorus is looking into it.

I sincerely hope so because I am in the same building as Dean - the one Chorus has advised him to move out of so he can get UFB sooner.

But there is also another issue that Dean highlights that is part and parcel of this debate.

As a city we have to create the kind of environment that will attract the young people businesses like Dean's will need.

We are starting to see some of that sense of vibrancy and creativity happening around Vogel St, inspired in no small way by that quiet achiever, ADInstruments.

This is a company that is an exemplar of the future of business in Dunedin.

Owners who have decided this is where they are going to live, have built a company that has become a world leader in the hi-tech field of data acquisition and analysis and who are demonstrating the value of high-speed interconnectivity with their international client base.

If Dunedin is to build its reputation around smart companies like ADInstruments, and new companies like Rocketwerkz, then we have to understand that the the roll-out of UFB is critical.

This is the part of the toolset they need to foot it on the world stage.

It needs to be at the heart of the city's economic planning and it needs to happen much faster than it currently is.

It is a sign of the times that it was Dean's comment on Twitter that has reignited this debate and he has clearly highlighted both the opportunities and the risks.

The question now is how do we deal to those, and how important do we think it is.

Ian Taylor was writing from London, where he is working with golfing's European Tour.