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
supply-side 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 open-access 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. is 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.
