The new microwave coaxial toll link from Auckland to Wellington brought into operation in November of last year. With only twenty circuits between the two centres, delays had been frequent and serious, and with the constant growth in telephone traffic, were likely to become more so. Planning for the £2 million project had to take into account not only present, but also likely future demand. It demanded detailed research and broad vision. This telecommunications backbone to the North Island now provides its people with adequate, efficient service, and will continue to do so in the reasonably foreseeable future.