Lightwire

About Lightwire

Lightwire operates as an internet service provider in New Zealand and Australia, with a history rooted in a 2006 University of Waikato project called Rural Link. The initial mission was to bridge the digital divide for rural schools and communities. Formerly known as Rural Link Limited, the company rebranded to Lightwire to better serve various market segments. A key milestone was the 2016 acquisition of NetSmart Ltd's broadband division, which expanded its service area into the Bay of Plenty. The company now serves over 8,500 residential and business customers.

The business is structured into two primary divisions: Lightwire Rural and Lightwire Business. Lightwire Rural focuses on providing fixed wireless broadband to residential customers in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions of New Zealand, offering speeds up to 200Mbps. Lightwire Business caters to enterprise and wholesale clients, including Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT providers, across both New Zealand and Australia. Revenue is generated through the sale of connectivity solutions and managed services.

The company's service portfolio is comprehensive. For businesses, it delivers bespoke Wide Area Networks (WANs), managed hardware like routers and firewalls, and voice solutions, including Microsoft Teams Calling integration and 3CX PBX systems. Its offerings for both markets include fiber-optic and wireless broadband, telephony, and managed WiFi. A core part of its strategy involves a partner program, providing wholesale voice and data solutions to MSPs, enabling them to bundle these services for their own clients without direct competition from Lightwire. This program is designed to help MSPs increase profitability and customer retention.