Looking for a telecommunications operator to fulfil the role played by Mercury Communications Ltd in the UK in providing competition to British Telecommunications Plc, the New Zealand government has called in a private Australian company, Telpac Communications Ltd, to set up in competition with the state-owned Telecom Corp of New Zealand – but only on long-distance and international traffic. The Australian company gets statutory rights to construct and lay cables alongside, over or under roads, and, in some cases, on private land. The Australian company, 50% owned by Pacific Satellite Services Pty Ltd and 50% by Australian businessman Trevor Elborough, plans to invest $15m to set up its telecommunications network for New Zealand.
