Rural mobile coverage has gone backwards following the complete shutdown of 3G networks, leaving roughly two in three farmers unable to reliably call 111 on their farms.
The extent of the communications blackout emerged in a Federated Farmers rural connectivity report released this month. The survey of 641 farmers, conducted between August and September, found that approximately 50 percent of farms now retain mobile coverage across less than half of their land.
Only 35 percent of respondents reported being able to reliably call 111 from most places on their farms. That figure marks a comparison to the September 2025 report, conducted while the 3G network was still operational, which showed that just 38 percent of farms experienced coverage issues.
The Human Cost of Dead Zones
The loss of low-frequency 3G infrastructure has impacted rural properties. One meat and wool farmer from Manawatū-Whanganui told researchers that her husband was recently trapped underneath a bike for four hours on their property. Because the farm lacks reliable network reach, the household had to purchase a specialized smartwatch capable of placing 111 calls independently.
Another local respondent described the situation as “very dangerous” not having coverage in places where accidents might happen, such as the house, an isolated shed or when working with machinery. Manawatū District Council rural ward councillor Alison Short, who operates a farm just north of Halcombe, stated that the transition has created persistent poor coverage and complete blind spots on sections of her own land.
Short asserted that the new report revealed a hard truth about the impacts of losing 3G at rural properties, declaring that rural mobile coverage has gone backwards.
Infrastructure Vulnerabilities Laid Bare
The mobile network was officially shut down at the end of March following a phased disconnection from the end of 2025, transitioning users to 4G and 5G networks. Short explained that the discontinued 3G network relied on lower frequencies that were more flexible, and its loss has impacted much of the district including hill country, rural roads, coastal areas and Ruahine Forest Park.
To ensure communication lifelines exist when commercial cell phone coverage completely fails, the council maintains a digital radio network linking 20 rural schools and community hubs. These lifelines undergo weekly testing, though a severe storm in February exposed underlying fragility when officials discovered that many of the 20m cell towers in the district carried only 12 hours of battery backup.
That power limitation caused issues for people navigating road closures, debris and weather conditions without coverage. Manawatū Mayor Michael Ford confirmed that he had poor phone coverage at his property, noting that it was “typical at Colyton and many other parts of our district”.
Diverging Perspectives on Emergency Access
NZ Telecommunications Forum chief executive Paul Brislen, the representative for all phone companies, told Breakfast earlier this month that there shouldn’t be any issues reaching 111. Brislen urged farmers to report these issues to their telco.
Addressing the crisis locally remains an uphill financial battle. Short noted that while the council has previously worked with various rural broadband providers and energy authorities to improve coverage in parts of the district and secure funding, this didn’t go far enough. With the council moving into a 4% rates capping environment, local leaders face challenges in funding additional initiatives to strengthen rural connectivity through rates alone, though Short emphasized that authorities will continue to seek other funding sources.
