When a planned Spark network outage in the small West Coast town of Fox Glacier removed internet and mobile coverage for much of the community, Hato Hone St John’s Edward Ross didn’t miss a beat, thanks to a small but powerful piece of technology.
The same happened when a state of emergency was declared in the Westland District - Ross was the only one in a room full of local civil defence volunteers, to have mobile coverage.
In rural communities like Fox Glacier, any disruption to emergency communications can have serious consequences. But unlike many in the area, Ross and his crew at the Fox Glacier volunteer ambulance station are connected to the Public Safety Network’s Cellular Roaming Service.
The Cellular Roaming Service helps improve mobile coverage for emergency services enabling users with a PSN Simcard to switch between Spark and One NZ networks. In the first instance, Ross’s mobile device shifted to the One NZ network during the Spark outage.
The PSN Cellular Roaming Service, developed by Next Generation Critical Communications and delivered by Hourua, is now being used by all emergency services. For frontline responders like Ross, the benefits are clear.
“On the West Coast, we’ve always had cell phone blackspots – the roaming SIM fills some holes. These small improvements can make a big difference in a rural or remote area,” he says.
“We’ve had a couple of times where a (network) provider has gone down or isn’t available, and we’ve been able to swap to the other network and continue service.
That added resilience is crucial not only for communication with headquarters but also for crew safety.
“A lot of our messaging comes through the cell network. Having cellular roaming gives us confidence.”
Routine disruptions are one thing, but a local state of emergency is another.
After 350mm of rain had fallen across the Westland District in 24 hours last November, Mayor Helen Lash declared an emergency.
Extensive flooding caused significant problems across the district, including evacuations, road closures and landslips. In a room filled with local civil defence volunteers, Ross was the only one with mobile coverage.
“Mine just moved networks and kept going. It meant I could still provide information when they couldn’t,” Ross says.
He credits the combined investment in PSN and wider government initiatives, like the Rural Broadband Initiative, which has brought better broadband coverage and speeds to rural New Zealand, with improving coverage and reliability.
“We’re seeing more multi-carrier sites pop up, and now with the roaming SIMs, we can take advantage of that. If one carrier fails, the other often still works.”
In his view, Cellular Roaming is more than a technical upgrade, it’s a practical tool that’s making a difference every day. “It’s a game changer,” he says.
“It’s simple, it’s effective, and it works. It’s exactly what we need on the front line.”