Rural Wireless Broadband Plan Terms / Offer Summary
Below are the terms that apply to Rural Wireless Broadband. You agree to these plan terms (including any updates). Our General terms, Mobile and Wireless Terms apply too.
View Mobile and Wireless Terms
View General Terms
Rural Wireless Broadband is one of our wireless broadband plans. If you’re on Unplan Wireless Broadband, see the Unplan Wireless Terms
Service Overview
Service Description
- Rural Wireless Broadband connects your home to our network via a 4G wireless connection to your house. That means the throughput on your connection should be higher than ADSL broadband.
- Rural Wireless Broadband runs on the Spark mobile network.
- We have two Rural Wireless Broadband packages:
- Rural Wireless Broadband and Landline. This package comes with a landline and a phone number as well as your broadband. The landline connects you to the public phone network so you can make local, national, international and mobile calls from your Landline; or
- Naked Rural Wireless Broadband: This is broadband only. You don't get a landline or phone number.
Availability
- Rural Wireless Broadband may be offered in certain areas within the Spark 4G coverage area. 4G coverage is not available everywhere. Spark does not guarantee that the service can be supplied at a particular location. See broadband options for your address
Service Charge
- The monthly price for Rural Wireless Broadband is set out below and on our plans and pricing page. View plans and pricing
* Speeds shown are industry national peak time average speeds (MBNZ March 2022). You may experience a higher or lower speed than this.
Factors such as the performance of your modem, location of the server you’re connected to, the performance of your device and your in-home WIFI setup can impact the speeds experienced.
If your plan uses a wireless connection, then factors such as the distance you are from a cell tower, the network capability and the overall use of that cell tower by other consumers can impact the speed experienced.
Additional Data Charges
- If you reach your monthly data cap, you will automatically receive 10GB of additional data for $10. This will be automatically charged to your account (unless you’ve set a spend cap to prevent extra charges). Once you’ve used this 10GB, you can purchase data extra(s) of 10GB of data for $10 through MySpark online. Go to MySpark
Set Up Charge
- If you signed up to your Rural Wireless Broadband before 16 November 2020, you had the choice of:
- a 12-month contract and you received a free standard connection, and a modem; or
- an open term, and you received a standard connection and modem to use, but you'll need to return the modem if you cancel your plan or a fee will apply. If you cancel your service within two years of your plan starting, contact Spark to return your modem. Spark will provide a prepaid courier bag, and requires the modem to be in good working order. It should be returned with the original packaging and all equipment originally provided, within 14 days of the disconnection of your Spark Wireless Broadband service. If the modem is not returned a fee will be incurred depending on when you terminate:
- 0-6 months: $199
- 7-12 months: $149
- 13-18 months: $99
- 19-24 months: $49
- 25+ months: $0
- If you sign up to Rural Wireless Broadband without an antenna from 16 November 2020, your plan doesn't include a modem. You can purchase one from Spark with a one-off payment or on Spark’s interest free payment term. Alternatively, you can choose to use an existing Spark wireless modem if you already have one.
Find out about Spark's interest free payment options
A one-off $14.95 postage fee applies if we need to send you a new modem.
Access Type
- Your access type will be wireless. More information about access types and speeds can be found on the NZ Telecommunications Forum website.
Other Information
Minimum Contract Period
- If you signed up to Home Wireless Broadband before 16 November 2020, you had the choice of a 12-month term or an open term. If you sign up from 16 November 2020, you'll be on an open term.
Early Termination Fee
- If you're on a 12-month contract, you'll need to pay a fee of $199 if you cancel the contract early. If you’re on an open term and you cancel your Rural Wireless Broadband before the end of any modem interest free term, you will need to pay the outstanding interest free payments when your plan ends. This is explained further in our General Terms.
Notice Period (cancellation)
- You’ll need to give us 30 days’ notice to end your Plan, as we’ve set out in our General Terms.
Other Requirements
Not applicable.
Traffic Management
- As we’ve said above, you can buy extra data after you’ve used your allowance. However, if you need more than 50GB of data over and above your plan each month, we may end your service, or move you to a different plan or technology. Our General Terms set out what that means for you.
- We might also have to pause, restrict, end or slow performance of your service if it’s necessary for us to protect our networks or manage traffic over our networks. We’ve covered this at clause 6.6 of our General Terms.
Fair Use
- You need to use our services fairly – we’ve set out our rules on this at clause 2.6 of our General Terms.
Effects on Other Services
- Your modem requires mains power. So, if there's a power cut your broadband service won't be available and you won't be able to use it to contact emergency services. Make sure you have a charged mobile phone handy to use in a power cut in case of emergency. If you have existing services you're planning to use with your broadband connection, you should check with the provider of those services to make sure they'll work. This could include medical alerts, monitored home alarms, and interactive features of Sky TV. Advise the provider of those services that your Rural Wireless Broadband service is delivered over wireless broadband (4G) technology to ensure their service is compatible with wireless technology.
- If you want to make calls from a landline (including 111 calls), you'll need to sign up for Rural Wireless Broadband and Landline. Your landline will run over wireless.
- If you've ordered Rural Wireless Broadband and Landline, it's possible your existing landline will be disconnected for a few hours when your Rural Wireless Broadband and Landline connection is set up.
Other Charges
- You can add a landline to your Rural Wireless Broadband. Your local calls are free. We do charge for national, international and mobile calls, but have a range of calling plans to suit most people.
Disputes
- Information about our disputes policy is available. View our disputes policy
- Spark is a member of the Telecommunication Dispute Resolution (TDR) Scheme. Visit the TDR website
Installation
- If you order an antenna from us, an installation fee of $99 applies for a standard installation, or $199 for a complex installation. We’ll tell you which fee applies before you confirm that you wish to proceed. We’ll determine if it’s a standard or a complex installation at our sole discretion.
- By agreeing to an antenna installation, you understand we’ll send a technician to your property to install the external antenna. The antenna will connect to an internal modem inside your premises. You agree you own the property on which the installation is happening. If you don’t own the property, then you’ll need your landlord’s consent to complete the installation. You are responsible for obtaining all necessary consents.
- The technician will perform checks to ensure there is adequate coverage at your property for Spark Wireless Broadband using an antenna and your building is suitable for an antenna. As every property is different, the technician will confirm work with you before going ahead. You have a right to proceed or not proceed with the installation. You won’t be charged an installation fee if you choose not to proceed, or if the technician decides that it won’t be possible to proceed.
- If the installation can’t proceed, or you choose not to proceed, this may affect your ability to receive Spark’s Wireless Broadband service. Spark will decide this at our sole discretion. If we sent you a modem to be used with the antenna, and we can no longer offer you the Wireless Broadband service, you’ll need to return the modem to us. This will be at no cost to you and we’ll deactivate the SIM card in the modem. We’ll also discuss other options in getting broadband over alternative technologies.
Use
- Once the antenna’s installed, it becomes your property or your landlord’s property. Spark is not responsible for repairing or maintaining the antenna. If you interfere with the antenna and it stops working, then you’ll be responsible for the cost of repairs.
Leaving Us
- If we supply you with an antenna and you terminate your Spark Wireless Broadband service within 24 months, you’ll be charged an early termination fee of $350. This replaces (and is not additional to) the early termination fee mentioned above.