Rural Connectivity Group

What Rural Connectivity Group does

Rural Connectivity Group (RCG) is a New Zealand wholesale infrastructure provider established in 2017 by appointment of the New Zealand Government as the sole infrastructure provider for the Rural Broadband Initiative 2 (RBI2) and Mobile Black Spot Fund (MBSF) programmes. RCG designs, builds, operates and maintains a nationwide shared cellular network that New Zealand's three mobile network operators — Spark, One NZ and 2degrees — use jointly to deliver 4G wireless broadband, VoLTE voice, data and text services to rural and remote areas. As of December 2023, the network comprises 570+ cell sites covering 30,000+ rural homes and businesses, 1,000+ kilometres of rural state highways and 100+ tourist hotspots.

The company's underlying technology is a world-first multi-operator shared radio access network (RAN) architecture, in which each cell site's equipment, antennae and spectrum are shared across all three MNOs rather than duplicated per operator. In 2025, RCG extended this model into enterprise environments with iConn, an in-building mobile coverage product built on distributed antenna system (DAS) technology that delivers seamless coverage across all three operators inside commercial buildings, retail spaces, lifestyle villages, hospitals and transport hubs.

RCG's revenue model combines wholesale network services sold to its three MNO shareholders with managed-services funding administered through the Government's Telecommunications Development Levy, distributed via the National Infrastructure Funding and Financing (NIFF) agency. The company sells iConn directly to enterprises on a quote-based engagement and supports sales through its wholesale MNO channel and a corporate website/LinkedIn presence. Customers are concentrated in the New Zealand telecommunications sector and rural end-user segments.

Name

Rural Connectivity Group

Legal name

Rural Connectivity Group

Website

https://thercg.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rural Connectivity Group operates a wholesale shared cellular network across rural New Zealand on behalf of the country's three mobile network operators, delivering 4G broadband, voice and data to remote communities, and extends this model indoors via its iConn DAS-based enterprise solution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Network Services: RCG provides wholesale cellular network infrastructure services to the three mobile network operators (Spark, One NZ, 2degrees). The MNOs provide radio spectrum while RCG provides and maintains shared network infrastructure, enabling MNOs to offer voice, data, text and wireless broadband services to rural customers.
2. Government Telecommunications Development Levy: RCG was appointed by the New Zealand Government as infrastructure provider for RBI2 and MBSF programmes. Funding is managed through National Infrastructure Funding and Financing (NIFF) which distributes funds to RCG for network buildout and operation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Rural Connectivity Group (RCG) designs, builds, and operates a shared cellular network infrastructure that New Zealand's three mobile network operators (Spark, One NZ, and 2degrees) jointly use to deliver 4G wireless broadband, VoLTE voice, data, and text services across rural and remote parts of New Zealand. RCG also offers iConn, an in-building distributed antenna system (DAS) solution that extends multi-operator mobile coverage inside commercial buildings, retail spaces, lifestyle villages, hospitals, and transport hubs.

Product overview

Rural Connectivity Group (RCG) operates a dual-product portfolio: (1) a core Rural Mobile Network — a world-first shared cellular infrastructure spanning 570+ rural cell sites, delivering 4G broadband, VoLTE voice, data and text across rural New Zealand via partnership with Spark, One NZ and 2degrees; and (2) iConn — an in-building mobile coverage add-on module that uses distributed antenna system (DAS) technology to extend the same multi-operator coverage indoors to commercial buildings, hospitals, retail spaces, lifestyle villages and transport hubs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iConn: An in-building mobile coverage solution using distributed antenna system (DAS) technology to deliver seamless, high-quality mobile coverage indoors. Designed for commercial, retail, lifestyle villages, hospitals and transport hubs, working across all three mobile operators.

Products and services

• Rural Mobile Network A world-first multi-operator shared cellular network providing 4G wireless broadband, VoLTE voice calling, data, and text services across rural and remote parts of New Zealand. Built through partnership with the three major New Zealand MNOs (Spark, One NZ, and 2degrees) who share RAN equipment, antennae, and radio spectrum on each of the 570+ cell sites.
• iConn (In-Building Mobile Coverage) A flexible in-building connectivity solution using advanced distributed antenna system (DAS) technology to deliver seamless, high-quality mobile coverage inside buildings where thick walls, steel structures, or modern glass block signals. Works across all three New Zealand mobile operators, targeting commercial buildings, retail spaces, lifestyle villages, hospitals, and transport hubs.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SparkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Spark is one of New Zealand's three mobile network operators and shareholder in RCG. Provides radio spectrum for the shared network and utilizes shared RAN equipment to offer voice, data, text and wireless broadband services to rural customers.
• One NZcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017One NZ is one of New Zealand's three mobile network operators and shareholder in RCG. Provides radio spectrum for the shared network and utilizes shared RAN equipment to offer voice, data, text and wireless broadband services to rural customers.
• 2degreescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20172degrees is one of New Zealand's three mobile network operators and shareholder in RCG. Provides radio spectrum for the shared network and utilizes shared RAN equipment to offer voice, data, text and wireless broadband services to rural customers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rural-connectivity-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rural Connectivity Group