Build it and it will disrupt: A national broadband platform to fuel New Zealand's digital economy

Abstract

The fibre-to-the-home, high-speed broadband network in New Zealand known as the Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) network is already changing the landscape of the telecommunications market in the country. The future New Zealand broadband ecosystem is being shaped by decisions that impact both the structure of the market and the supplyside of the ecosystem. UFB embodies the infrastructure of New Zealand's digital platform. It is not only a high-speed broadband network; it is also conceived as an openaccess platform whereby any service provider can and will provide services. Opting for an open-access, high speed broadband platform New Zealand is effectively instigating major changes in the structure of the market, which in turn are expected to deliver profound changes in the range of services and the way they are delivered to consumers. This chapter presents the New Zealand case as an example of the scope and impact of digital disruption with major changes in infrastructure ownership and market structure and competition encouraged by UFB's open-access architecture and regulation. The main argument is that both the technical characteristics of the broadband network and major policy and regulatory decisions must necessarily shape the potential for digital markets creation, transformation, and growth.