Kordia is a New Zealand state-owned enterprise. It provides a range of services, including connectivity, cloud and cyber security services, as well as managed IT, field services, broadcast and safety of life communications.
Kordia owns and operates a network in New Zealand, which is based primarily on digital microwave technology. The company also has access to a number of fibre networks running between Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Part of Kordia's 65-year heritage is the nationwide network of transmission towers that was built by the company in its various iterations, including: NZBC, Television New Zealand, BCL and now Kordia. In 2007, Kordia upgraded its high sites to build the digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform, which now hosts Freeview (Free-to-air digital television in New Zealand).
In recent years, Kordia has made several acquisitions in the cyber security, cloud and managed IT space.
The New Zealand business was formed as a subsidiary of Television New Zealand Ltd (TVNZ) on 1 July 1989 as Broadcast Communications Ltd (BCL).[1]
In 2003 TVNZ underwent a wide restructure from a State Owned Enterprise (SOE) to a Crown Entity with a dual commercial-(public service) charter remit, with the passing of the Television New Zealand Act 2003. BCL was split from TVNZ into a separate business entity. The new entity was named Transmission Holdings Limited (THL, THL Group), with the New Zealand broadcasting business continuing to operate under the name BCL, and was, and continues to be structured as an SOE. THL took with it a significant proportion of TVNZ's debt with it, leaving the newly restructured TVNZ debt free. This high level of initial debt has impeded the business's operating performance in the early years of its inception.[2]
In November 2006, the business, Transmission Holdings Limited Group (BCL, THLA, AAPCS) was rebranded to Kordia. The name "Kordia" is derived from the Latin word "accordia", meaning "harmony".[citation needed]
In June 2007 Kordia purchased telecommunications company and internet service provider (ISP) Orcon Limited for $27 million.[3] In 2008 Kordia led Orcon's launch of the country's first local loop unbundled telephone and broadband services, with Orcon becoming the first New Zealand ISP to offer ADSL2+ broadband access.[4] In April 2013 Kordia sold Orcon for an undisclosed sum to Vivid Networks, a consortium of businesspeople directed by Warren John Hurst. Less than a year later, John Hurst was facing bankruptcy and Orcon was sold to competitor Callplus in June 2014 for an undisclosed sum that was forecasted to be around $30 million.[5][6]
In 1993, the company then known as BCL opened a Maritime Operations Centre (MOC), which provides safety of life at seas communications on behalf of Maritime NZ. Kordia continues to provide this service from the MOC based in Wellington.[7] Today, Kordia's maritime operations is responsible for ‘NAVAREA XIV’ – an area of 50 million square kilometres, or nearly a quarter of the world's oceans.[8] Kordia built, and now operates and maintains HF and VHF radio networks for maritime communications.[9]
In 2013, New Zealand completed its transition to digital TV, marking the end of analogue TV transmission in New Zealand.[10] New Zealand Broadcasting Minister Craig Foss switched off the Waiatarua TV Tower analogue transmitter at 2am on 1 December 2013, bringing to an end a three-year nationwide digital switch-over campaign.[11]
In 2015, Kordia acquired Aura Information Security, a Wellington based cyber security consultancy founded in 2001. Kordia's then CEO Scott Bartlett said the acquisition would add to Kordia's existing capabilities in information security.[12] In 2017, Aura was named best security company at the iSANZ awards in 2017 and 2018.[13]
In 2020, Kordia acquired Emerging Technology Partners, an Auckland-based boutique cloud consultancy, to increase its cloud capabilities.[14]
In 2021, Kordia announced it was buying Auckland-headquartered Base2. Base2 offered managed IT, network, and security solutions with a cloud competency focused on the Microsoft ecosystem, Adobe, and other vendors, as well as certifications in Cisco, Azure, AWS, VMware and CompTIA, among others.[15]
In July 2021, Kordia announced that it had acquired cyber security managed services provider SecOps NZ.[16] The purchase saw Kordia increase its managed cyber security offering in the New Zealand market, as well as the establishment of a Cyber Defence Operations.[17]
In September 2021, Kordia announced that it was divesting its Australian contracting business, known as Kordia Solutions Australia.[18] Kordia Solutions Australia was purchased by Australian infrastructure service provider Ventia.[19]
Current operations
Kordia operates predominantly in New Zealand, with a head office in Auckland and offices in Wellington and Christchurch.
The business operates several operations centres for its various services. This includes two Maritime Operations Centres (MOC) in Wellington and Canberra, which provide safety of life at sea communication services, a Network Operations Centre (NOC), and a Cyber Defence Operations (CDO).
Kordia operates the digital television platforms in New Zealand – digital terrestrial television (DTT) and direct-to-home (DTH-satellite), including:
Kordia's nearly 400 high sites are available for co-location. This allows the introduction of other network operators' equipment into these strategic sites. Analogue television was switched off in 2013 as part of the move to digital TV broadcasting.
Today
Kordia competes and co-operates with other operators of physical (layer 1) telecommunication network providers such as Spark New Zealand, Vodafone New Zealand, and Transpower New Zealand Limited (the national grid operator). Kordia has trialled DVB in New Zealand and DAB in New Zealand and Australia.
Kordia owns and operates New Zealand's third largest telecommunications network – by geographical reach.[22]
In 2011, Kordia announced that it is the first company in New Zealand to achieve the Microsoft SIP Trunking qualification for Microsoft Lync.[25]
In 2012, Kordia has launched a new data transit service from New Zealand to Asia, allowing Kiwi businesses to access the lowest latency route to Microsoft's Office 365 cloudbased productivity tools.[26]
Telecommunications in New Zealand are fairly typical for an industrialised country.
Television in New Zealand was introduced in 1960 as a state-run service. The broadcasting sector was deregulated in 1989, when the Government allowed competition to the state-owned Television New Zealand (TVNZ). There are currently three forms of broadcast television: a terrestrial (DVB-T) service provided by Freeview; as well as satellite (DVB-S) and internet streaming (IPTV) services provided nationwide by both Freeview and Sky.
Television New Zealand, more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a television network that is broadcast throughout New Zealand and parts of the Pacific region. All of its currently-operating channels are free-to-air and commercially funded.
Radio New Zealand, commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public-service radio broadcaster and Crown entity that was established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news and current-affairs network, RNZ National, and a classical-music and jazz network, RNZ Concert, with full government funding from NZ On Air. Since 2014, the organisation's focus has been to transform RNZ from a radio broadcaster to a multimedia outlet, increasing its production of digital content in audio, video, and written forms.
Spark New Zealand Limited is a New Zealand telecommunications and digital services company providing fixed-line telephone services, mobile phone services, broadband, and digital technology services. Its customers range from consumers to small - medium business, government agencies and large enterprise clients. It was formerly known as Telecom New Zealand until it was rebranded to Spark on 8 August 2014. It has operated as a publicly traded company since 1990. Spark's mobile network reaches 98% of New Zealand, with over 2.7 million mobile connections and 687,000 broadband connections
Three, stylised as +HR=E, is a New Zealand nationwide television channel. Launched on 26 November 1989 as TV3, it was New Zealand's first privately owned television channel. The channel currently broadcasts nationally in digital free-to-air form via the state-owned Kordia on terrestrial and satellite. Vodafone also carries the channel for their cable subscribers in Wellington and Christchurch. It previously broadcast nationally on analogue television until that was switched off on 1 December 2013.
1News is the news division of New Zealand television network TVNZ. The programme is broadcast live from TVNZ Centre in Auckland. The flagship news bulletin is the nightly 6 pm news hour, but 1News also has late night news bulletins, as well as current affairs shows such as Breakfast and Seven Sharp.
Sky Open is a New Zealand free-to-air television network. It airs a varied mix of programming, largely imported from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Clear Communications Ltd was a telecommunications company based in New Zealand. Until merging into Telstra's operations in 2001, it was the biggest rival to Telecom New Zealand.
This is a list of the satellites operated by Optus, an Australian telecommunications company. The satellite communications facility is located at Belrose on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Optus' satellites are divided into 4 classes A, B, C and D. As of April 2014 it owns and operates Optus B3, Optus C1, Optus D1, Optus D2 and Optus D3. Optus A1, Optus A2, Optus A3 and Optus B1 satellites have been retired. Optus has the largest network of satellites in Australia and New Zealand.
Orcon Limited is a New Zealand telecommunications company. It is New Zealand's fourth largest Internet service provider (ISP). In 2013 it had a 5% share of the fixed line market.
Juice TV, is a 24-hour music television channel operating from the Auckland suburb of Parnell in New Zealand. The channel is available on channel 38 on the Freeview streaming app. It also broadcasts 18 hours a day on CH200, Kordia's local channel on Freeview terrestrial.
TVNZ 1 is the first national television channel owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster Television New Zealand (TVNZ). It is the oldest television broadcaster in New Zealand, starting out from 1960 as independent channels in the four main centres of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, networking in 1969 to become NZBC TV. The network was renamed Television One in 1975 upon the break-up of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, and became a part of TVNZ in 1980 when Television One and South Pacific Television merged. The channel assumed its current name in October 2016.
TVNZ 2 is the second New Zealand television channel owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster Television New Zealand (TVNZ). It targets a younger audience than its sister channel, TVNZ 1. TVNZ 2's line up consists of dramas, comedies, and reality TV shows. A small number are produced in New Zealand which are either of a comedic, soap opera or reality nature, with rest of the line-up taken from international catalogues.
Freeview is New Zealand's free-to-air television platform. It is operated by a joint venture between the country's major free-to-air broadcasters – government-owned Television New Zealand and Radio New Zealand, government-subsidised Whakaata Māori, and the American-owned Warner Bros. Discovery.
The mass media in New Zealand include television stations, radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and websites. Media conglomerates like NZME, Stuff, MediaWorks, Discovery and Sky dominate the media landscape. Most media organisations operate Auckland-based newsrooms with Parliamentary Press Gallery reporters and international media partners, but most broadcast programmes, music and syndicated columns are imported from the United States and United Kingdom.
Sugarloaf is a hill in the Port Hills, 8 km (5.0 mi) south of central Christchurch in New Zealand. The hill is home to the main television and FM radio transmitter for Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region.
Four was the second New Zealand television channel owned and operated by MediaWorks New Zealand, broadcast via the state-owned Kordia transmission network. The channel launched on 29 June 1997 as TV4 and was replaced by C4 on 3 October 2003. It was relaunched on 6 February 2011 as a separate channel from C4.
Igloo was a New Zealand prepaid pay TV service launched on 3 December 2012. The Pace-supplied receiver provides customers access to free-to-air channels through Freeview, and previously a small selection of pay TV channels could be purchased for 30 days. On 1 March 2017, Igloo closed and the receiver was updated to allow viewers to use New Zealand's Freeview television service.
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