Spark New Zealand (NZ) has struck a long-term partnership with Māori spectrum and telecoms service, Tū Ātea, to acquire the rights to use 20MHz of Tū Ātea’s C-band (3.5GHz) spectrum for its 5G mobile network.

According to Spark, the deal will improve speeds and capacity on its 5G network.

The additional spectrum will be deployed across Spark's C-band 5G cell sites nationwide for an agreed period of 18 years.

It means Spark has increased the total C-band spectrum that it can deploy to 100MHz, and overall available spectrum to 350MHz.

“As we activate this additional spectrum through our 770 C-band 5G cell sites nationwide by the end of October, we expect 5G speeds to increase by up to 25 percent, and we will be able to support up to 20 percent more traffic on our 5G network," said Spark’s network and operations director, Renee Mateparae.

“This partnership complements the significant investment we make in our network each year to deliver both 4G and high-speed 5G services to our customers across the country."

Mateparae noted that 5G mobile data usage has increased by 79 percent on Spark's network over the past year.

As part of Spark's partnership with Tū Ātea, the two companies will work to expand coverage to hard-to-reach areas through rural and regional small cells. This will also cover marae-based civil defence connectivity solutions.

Antony Royal, Tū Ātea chief executive, added: “Through this agreement, we are creating new pathways for Māori to enter and thrive in the telecommunications sector. It strengthens our focus on rural connectivity and will come to ensure marae have the digital tools they need to stand strong in times of civil defence emergencies.

“Tū Ātea is committed to unlocking the power of spectrum to grow Māori participation, drive innovation, and deliver benefits for all communities across Aotearoa.”

Tū Ātea's origins date back to the Interim Māori Spectrum Commission. In 2023, Tū Ātea acquired Tū Ātea Network Services (the former Broadtech Group). The words Tū Ātea translate to "to stand (tū) in space (ātea)," according to the company's website.

Earlier this year, Tū Ātea outlined plans to build New Zealand's first commercial Private 5G network for CentrePort in Wellington. The network is set to go live at the port, which is a key connection for New Zealand’s freight and transport system, in the third quarter of this year.