Matt brings an end to rural internet woes

MIKE SCOTT

PrimoWireless business owner Matt Harrison checks one of his internet access points on a Hursthouse Rd property.

Relevant offers

Rural internet users are enjoying high-speed broadband access thanks to an Inglewood business filling a gap in the market left by bigger players.

Operating since May last year, Matt Harrison's business PrimoWireless now has around 60 customers, who in the past had struggled with slow dial-up or no internet connection.

A wireless service provider, PrimoWireless connects users to the worldwide web via several access points dotted around rural New Plymouth and Inglewood.

Mr Harrison says the likes of Telecom has told many rural Taranaki people they won't be providing broadband for years.

"I'm just filling the gap where Telecom have said they're not going to be doing it," he says.

The business started when a friend of Mr Harrison's living on Durham Rd couldn't get broadband access.

"It just started between me and and my friend.

"He got frustrated and we thought we would do this wireless thing."

Once the neighbours heard what was going on, they wanted broadband access, too.

"A whole lot just came from there, word of mouth about what I was doing got around.

"I don't think there's many people doing what I'm doing."

Mr Harrison has access points, where customers access the internet using a wireless connection from, at seven locations including on Hursthouse, Egmont, Durham and Korito roads. He's keen to supply other areas and has had interest from Onaero and other coastal areas.

"There's a lot of new housing and farmlets and of course they all want the internet.

"From what I see the internet is more important to people that TV."

Having left his job in August, Mr Harrison is now working on his business fulltime

He says the work has a great "feel good factor", in that he's helping people who have become extremely frustrated by the limitations of their internet connection.

"For some people it really has been life changing.

"It's changed the way they can work and freed up time for other things. When their connection has been so very slow and then they see the speed of broadband it's great."

Go to www.primowireless.co.nz for more information.

- © Fairfax NZ News