A partial list consisting of 39 parties contending for the Government’s rural broadband initiative (RBI) worth $300 million has been reportedly unveiled for the very first time.

The RBI, an independent project to the urban, involves $1.35 billion ultrafast broadband (UFB), is in a bid to bring speedy internet to rural lands by laying new fibre optic cable network for the connection, accompanied by wireless and satellite broadband in some areas as well.

Communications Minister Steven Joyce has revealed that the policy is in good swing and Crown Fibre Holdings is in a process to frame its timetable.

He adds that it will be filing a refined request for proposals. sometime in the next week or so and final decisions will be announced by the year end.

The rural broadband initiative is tagged as the first funding for which is due to be implemented in 2011. It is reported to be supported by $48 million from the Government, accompanied by $252 million facilitated by telcos in a overhauled version of the TSO levy (aka the Kiwishare levy) summoned by the Telecommunications Development Levy.

The RBI looks forward to ensure that 93% of rural schools present, are covered by the fiber network, facilitating speeds of over 100Mbit/s, with the rest 7% achieving speeds of at least 10Mbps.