Posted on: 09.03.15

Ngatiwai Net sells to Uber Group

Northland-based Ngatiwai Net has sold its wireless broadband service to Uber Group Limited, with effect from 1 April 2015.

“Ngatiwai Net was established 10 years ago and has operated successfully for a number of years, but it has become increasingly clear that it is not part of Ngatiwai’s core business,” said Ngatiwai Trust Board Chief Executive Jim Smillie.

“In recent months we have looked at ways of making sure our customers could keep on getting fast, fairly priced broadband while freeing up Ngatiwai resources for other priorities, and after reviewing several alternatives we decided that Uber Group was best placed to take the Ngatiwai Net wireless network into the future,” he said.

Uber Group is a Northland ISP based in Whangarei which specialises in providing wireless broadband services to remote rural areas, with a network of over 150 transmission sites stretching from Te Kao to Wellsford. Uber also offers ultrafast fibre broadband in Whangarei city.

Uber’s Managing Director Hayden Simon says the company will upgrade and replace some of the Ngatiwai Net equipment to improve services for customers and ensure Uber has the same level of insight into customer equipment as it does with its own customer base, particularly where Uber’s services overlap with Ngatiwai Net.

“While there is some overlap, this acquisition also allows us access into other areas where we have not previously been able to provide service, so this is a win-win,” he says.

Uber will honour all Ngatiwai Net broadband and phone packages but customers will be able to upgrade to Uber packages if they want to.

Mr Simon says there will be some outages in April while equipment is transitioned or replaced, but that Uber would work hard to keep these to a minimum.