Telecom New Zealand’s trial of 4G LTE technology will go live in parts of Wellington and Auckland today.

The telco says the Auckland trial will take place in parts of the North Shore on the 2600MHz spectrum and will be conducted by Huawei Technologies, while Alcatel-Lucent will run the trial in the Lower Hutt area of Wellington, also on the 2600MHz spectrum.

Both trial areas include residential and light industrial property, a section of motorway and small–to–medium enterprises, allowing the company to test the technology and customer experience in a variety of contexts.

Telecom GM for Mobile Products, Ed Hyde, said the company was excited about what the technology would allow its customers to do – both when it is rolled out, and into the future.

“Telecom’s 100% 3G Smartphone Network, which is built specifically for smartphones, already provides a very good quality experience for our customers,” he said.

“We have made this even better with the rollout of dual carrier HSPA+ technology to almost 30% of the network, and we plan to extend this to nearly 50% of the network early in the New Year.

“With such a solid network available to Telecom customers already, moving to a 4G LTE network is all about building for the future.

“The communications and technology services a 4G LTE network will deliver can, and will, change lives.

“Whether it is by giving health professionals enhanced access to real-time, high quality video communication with patients in their homes, or dramatically increasing the productivity of businesses with a mobile workforce, Telecom believes this network will be crucial for New Zealand’s future.”

The firm is also planning two smaller trials of 4G LTE outside of the main centres with Alcatel-Lucent conducting a trial in a rural part of southern Hawke’s Bay on the 700MHz spectrum and Huawei trialling at 1800MHz and 2600MHz frequencies in a small area of Rotorua.

The first phase of the trial will run from tomorrow until mid-February and will focus on testing how the network performs in a New Zealand environment in a series of situations – for example its performance under a heavy load.

It will also work through possible coverage models for the network, and identify and work through any technical issues that may arise during the deployment process.

“It is a privilege to be playing a key role in the implementation of next generation mobile communications in New Zealand,” says Andrew Miller, MD of Alcatel-Lucent in New Zealand.

“With over 30 LTE deployments globally and 70 LTE trials underway, we’re looking forward to showcasing our solution locally with Telecom’s Wellington trial.”

The second phase – which involves customer trials – will then begin in mid-February and run until the end of March.

Trial participants will be equipped with a 4G-capable device and asked to feed back to Telecom on their experience of using the 4G LTE network in their day-to-day lives. They will also be asked to carry out and report back on set tasks, such as uploading or downloading large files or video conferencing over their device.

“We are very happy to be demonstrating this revolutionary technology in New Zealand,” says Arthur Zhang, Huawei New Zealand CEO.

“A cutting edge 4G LTE network, combined with Huawei’s suite of 4G LTE devices will allow users to seamlessly access information, services and entertainment, whenever they wish.”