Mobile Blackspot Mapping and Prioritization Project for Rural Canterbury

This opportunity summarised: Crown Infrastructure Partners Limited and the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) have GIS mapped mobile coverage using publicly available data, but experience on the ground and anecdotal evidence indicate a lack of confidence that this provides an accurate picture of the actual coverage that can be achieved throughout rural Canterbury.

Because of the importance and economic significance of mobile coverage as an enabler for improved productivity and logistics, safety and emergency services, the tourism sector and communication in our rural communities, the Canterbury Mayoral Forum (in correspondence to and discussions with Ministers, Crown Infrastructure Partners and MBIE) has advocated targeting investment in mobile telecommunications infrastructure where it is likely to have the greatest impact on the economic and social development of the region.

The successful contractor will ascertain available data (based on field testing, not modelling of expected coverage from cell towers) on mobile blackspots on highways in Canterbury. If necessary, information on blackspots may have to be crowdsourced from regional council and territorial authority field staff (via the Canterbury Engineering Managers Group).

Once identified and confirmed with telcos and Crown Infrastructure Partners, the contractor will work with Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury) to map known mobile blackspots. In consultation with the Canterbury Mayoral Forum secretariat, the successful contractor will work with NZTA and other relevant stakeholders e.g.

NZ Post, regional milk producers and emergency services to prioritise the identified gaps into a �top 10 priority blackspots� based on a set of agreed criteria to indicate economic and social significance. The Canterbury Mayoral Forum will then use this information to advocate with central government, Crown Infrastructure Partner and telcos to work towards resolving the priority blackspots by December 2020.