Primo
Primo is a Taranaki-owned New Zealand telecommunications provider delivering fibre, rural wireless, mobile, and business VoIP services to residential and SMB customers across the Taranaki region via its own wireless network and partner fibre infrastructure.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersNew Plymouth, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Primo does
Primo (legal entity PrimoWireless Ltd) is a privately held, 100% Taranaki-owned telecommunications provider operating in New Plymouth, New Zealand. Founded in 2006 by IT specialist Matthew Harrison and incorporated in 2008, the company was established to deliver broadband to remote Taranaki communities underserved by major national telcos. Primo operates its own local wireless network for rural connectivity and resells Ultrafast Broadband (UFB) via partnerships with Tuatahi First Fibre and Chorus, with mobile services riding on the One NZ network.
The company's product portfolio spans residential fibre (from $65/month), rural wireless (from $79/month), mobile plans (from $20/month), and a business suite including business fibre, wireless, mobile, and Business VoIP powered by Hero Cloud PBX with AI Voice tools. Monetisation is primarily subscription-recurring on monthly billing for residential and business customers, supplemented by one-time hardware/installation fees (e.g., $599 + GST for Wireless Backup). The go-to-market mix is direct sales through an in-house Customer Success Team, supported by community-led referral programmes (Connect-a-Mate, Boots on the Ground) and a self-service MyPrimo portal. Customer segments are residential, rural, and small-to-medium business across the Taranaki region.
The company is fully self-funded with no external funding rounds disclosed, employs approximately 27 people, and serves thousands of customers. It supports over 120 community organisations and contributed $211,259.40 to local Taranaki initiatives in 2025/26. The business model is regionally focused with no disclosed plans for geographic expansion beyond Taranaki.
Primo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Primo
- Legal name
- PrimoWireless Ltd
- Website
- https://primo.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Primo is a Taranaki-owned New Zealand telecommunications provider delivering fibre, rural wireless, mobile, and business VoIP services to residential and SMB customers across the Taranaki region via its own wireless network and partner fibre infrastructure.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Primo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Regional Telecommunications Services
- SIC
- Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Business/Enterprise ISPs (Dedicated Internet Access) (HDAIADAB)
Keywords
Where Primo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New Plymouth
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
Primo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Residential Broadband Services: Monthly subscription revenue from residential fibre and wireless broadband plans. Plans offered on 12-month contract or no-contract basis with router rental options.
- Mobile Plans: Postpaid mobile phone plans with endless data, calls, and TXTs to NZ and Australian numbers. Revenue from monthly plan subscriptions.
- Business VoIP Services: Cloud-based phone system with Hero Cloud PBX features and AI Voice tools. Revenue from monthly business VoIP plan subscriptions.
- Business Wireless Backup: One-time installation fee plus potential additional equipment costs for automatic failover wireless backup service for business fibre connections.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Residential Fibre plans from $65/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Rural Wireless from $79/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Mobile Plans from $20/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Business Connectivity from $105/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Business Companion Plans |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Data Add-ons for Mobile |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Primo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Primo is a regional telecommunications provider delivering broadband (fibre and own wireless network), mobile phone plans, and business VoIP phone systems to residential, rural, and business customers across the Taranaki region of New Zealand. Revenue is generated primarily through monthly subscription plans, with installations, equipment rentals, and community sponsorship programmes as ancillary offerings. The company distinguishes itself through proprietary rural wireless coverage, business network redundancy, and 100% Taranaki ownership.
Product overview
Primo is a 100% Taranaki-owned telecommunications provider offering a portfolio of connectivity products for residential and business customers. The core product suite includes mobile phone plans (Primo Mobile), residential broadband via fibre and wireless networks, and business connectivity solutions including fibre, wireless, and VoIP phone systems. Business VoIP is powered by Hero Cloud PBX with integrated AI Voice tools for call transcription, summaries, and sentiment analysis. Additional products include wireless backup for business continuity, companion and group mobile plans for families and teams, community support initiatives (Boots on the Ground, Conductive Education Package), and customer-facing tools like the MyPrimo Portal and text shortcode services. The company operates its own local wireless network and provides Ultrafast Broadband (UFB) through partnerships with Tuatahi First Fibre and Chorus.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Residential Fibre
- Residential Wireless
- Primo Mobile
- Primo Home Phone
- Business Fibre
- Business Wireless
- Business Mobile
- Primo Business VoIP
- Wireless Backup for Business
- Primo Wi-Fi Hotspots
- Primo Webcams
- Data Add-ons
- Router Rental
- Power Protection Products
Quantifiable outcome
- $211,259.40 contributed to local Taranaki community in 2025/26 financial year
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Primo
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Primo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
AI capability3 records
Feature3 records
Primo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- One NZcorePrimo Mobile partners with One NZ network, described as the best mobile network across Aotearoa New Zealand based on independent testing by Umlaut in 2022. Primo Mobile plans operate on the One NZ network infrastructure.
- Tuatahi First FibrecorePrimo uses Tuatahi First Fibre (TFF) network for Ultrafast Fibre (UFB) services. Customers agree to TFF End User Terms in addition to Primo terms. TFF installs and maintains fibre infrastructure on customer properties.
- Subterrain DrillingcoreContractor handles fibre installation including underground ducting along streets, directional drilling, and connecting properties to the fibre network. Standard installation costs covered by Primo.
- Centrix Group LimitedminorCredit reporting agency used by Primo for consumer credit checks during new customer sign-up process before ordering services.
- Hero (Cloud PBX Provider)coreHero Cloud PBX platform powering Primo Business VoIP services. Includes AI Voice tools for call transcription, summaries, sentiment analysis, and voicemail transcription.
- ChoruscoreNew Zealand infrastructure provider. Primo logo displayed alongside Chorus as part of network partner ecosystem.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Primo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ultimate Broadband: NZ regional wireless and fibre ISP. Comparable as a smaller NZ ISP using wireless and UFB infrastructure to serve residential and small business customers, similar geographic profile to Primo.
- NOW NZ (NOW Broadband): New Zealand broadband provider focused on residential and small business fibre and wireless. Comparable as a smaller NZ ISP using a mix of UFB and wireless infrastructure to serve customers outside the major telco footprint.
- WIZ Wireless / Wireless Nation: NZ wireless broadband provider serving rural and underserved areas. Comparable as a wireless-first NZ ISP targeting rural customers, similar to Primo's own-network rural wireless model.
- Compass Communications: NZ business-focused ISP offering broadband, VoIP, and cloud services to SMBs. Comparable as a smaller NZ ISP focused on business connectivity and VoIP, overlapping with Primo's business fibre and VoIP offering.
- MyRepublic New Zealand: NZ-based challenger ISP offering residential and business fibre and broadband plans. Comparable as a non-incumbent NZ retail ISP competing on price and customer experience against the major carriers.
Broad incumbents
- Spark New Zealand: NZ's largest telco offering mobile, broadband, and business services. Comparable as a full-stack NZ telecom provider, although Spark operates nationally and at much greater scale than Primo.
- One NZ (Vodafone NZ): Major NZ mobile and broadband carrier and Primo's mobile network partner. Comparable as a national fixed and mobile provider, but operates at a much larger scale and competes for the same Taranaki customers.
- 2degrees: One of NZ's major mobile and broadband operators. Comparable as a fixed broadband and mobile provider serving both residential and business customers, though at a substantially larger national scale.
- Mercury NZ (Trustpower): NZ energy retailer and broadband provider (via Trustpower integration). Comparable as an NZ fibre broadband provider selling to residential customers, though bundled with energy services at national scale.
Others
- Chorus NZ: NZ wholesale fibre infrastructure provider and Primo's UFB partner. Comparable as a network enabler rather than direct competitor, but materially relevant because Primo's fibre service depends on the Chorus network.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Primo social profiles
Digital presencePrimo compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Primo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Primo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Primo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Primo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Primo
What does Primo do?
Primo is a regional telecommunications provider delivering broadband (fibre and own wireless network), mobile phone plans, and business VoIP phone systems to residential, rural, and business customers across the Taranaki region of New Zealand. Revenue is generated primarily through monthly subscription plans, with installations, equipment rentals, and community sponsorship programmes as ancillary offerings. The company distinguishes itself through proprietary rural wireless coverage, business network redundancy, and 100% Taranaki ownership.
Is Primo a public or private company?
Primo is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Primo founded?
Primo was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Primo based?
Primo is headquartered in New Plymouth, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Primo make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Residential Broadband Services are the primary driver. The others are mobile Plans, business VoIP Services and business Wireless Backup.
Who are Primo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ultimate Broadband, NOW NZ (NOW Broadband), WIZ Wireless / Wireless Nation, Compass Communications and MyRepublic New Zealand. Broad incumbents are Spark New Zealand, One NZ (Vodafone NZ), 2degrees and Mercury NZ (Trustpower). Chorus NZ is listed as an others.
Does Primo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Primo.
What industry is Primo in?
Primo's product category is Regional Telecommunications Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAIADAB, Business/Enterprise ISPs (Dedicated Internet Access). Its SIC code is 4813.