Press & PR

A leading industry figure in New Zealand has called for greater broadband penetration in the country.

Geoff Lawrie, the country manager for Cisco New Zealand, warned that the country's economy stands at risk if there is not greater access to broadband internet, National Business Review reports.

"It's one of the key economic brakes we've got in the country at the moment," the finance publication reports Mr Lawrie as saying.

"Broadband is critical in New Zealand given our scale and remoteness," added the expert.

In addition to the country's economy, higher broadband availability will be good news for the UK backpackers who head to the country each year as they will be able to use VoIP products to contact friends and family making cheap international calls.

Earlier this month it was reported by the New Zealand Visa Bureau that working holidaymakers can apply for an additional three months on their visas, potentially making the area more attractive to Britons taking a year out or gap year.

Vonage UK offers a device designed to suit such travellers; the Vonage V-Phone is small enough to fit onto a keyring and offers the same connectivity as a landline, fitting the USB port of any broadband connected PC.