BUSINESS CONCEPTS
These are provided as concepts to demonstrate the application of the “Mauri Model”, and as a creative outlet. If you have any ideas you would like to gift to the project please used the Contact Us form or our socials (links at the bottom of the page).
BUSINESS CONCEPT #328 - TAITOKERAU-WIDE TERRESTRIAL FIBRE NETWORK: PLUGGING INTO THE WHENUA
A signal from the soil
When we think about the internet, we usually look up at the sky. These days, everyone is talking about Starlink and how those little satellites are zooming over our heads. It is amazing tech, and for many of our rural whānau in the deep valleys of the North, it certainly plugs a gap. But I have been watching something else happening quietly right under our feet.
Northpower Fibre and Top Energy are continuing to roll out land-based fibre cables. Some people say this is a waste of money now that the sky is full of satellites. I couldn't disagree more. I believe that terrestrial, or land-based, fibre is going to be a key part of our sovereignty as Ngāpuhi and tāngata whenua.
Why the land matters
There is a big difference between a signal that comes from a foreign-owned satellite and a signal that travels through a physical cable buried in our own whenua. When our data travels through the soil, it stays connected to our identity.