High speed broadband cabinets switched on in Mosgiel

Hundreds more Mosgiel residents will soon be able to benefit from high speed internet access as local telecommunications network operator Chorus begins switching on new fibre fed cabinets.

Over the next five months Chorus will rev up the Mosgiel network by installing 8 new roadside cabinets to extend ADSL2+ broadband speeds to customers not already getting the faster internet experience following upgrade work at the local telephone exchange.

The first new cabinet is located in the Gladstone Road area and will provide service to about 220 customers located within the immediate vicinity.

These new cabinets are a part of the massive investment programme already underway in Dunedin and will enable broadband speeds of at least 10Mbps to local residents.

Chorus Fibre-to-the-Node Programme Manager Ed Beattie said each cabinet contains the broadband equipment previously located in the local telephone exchange and they are bringing them closer to residents to enable faster broadband speeds.

“For over two years now Chorus has been busy extending the fibre network into neighbourhoods around Dunedin. We’ve added 76km of new fibre, building on the 523kms already in the local network, just for this project and connected more than 11,000 customers to our fibre-fed cabinets, so things are really humming along,”

“Around half of homes connected to the new cabinets will be within five hundred metres of our fibre optic cable network and ninety percent within one kilometre. This provides an ideal springboard for even faster broadband speeds in the future through VDSL2 technology and fibre to the home” he said.

Customers who are near the local telephone exchange will continue to receive service directly from the broadband equipment located at the exchange.

Mr Beattie noted that although the broadband network will be upgraded, customers also have an important part to play in making the most of the new faster broadband capability.

“A customer’s broadband service is also affected by factors including their broadband plan, modem, computer, and the wiring in their home or business.”

Chorus began its national programme to deploy 3,600 fibre-fed cabinets connected by 2,500km of fibre in Auckland in March 2008 and, combined with the upgrade of broadband equipment in telephone exchanges, aims to enable broadband speeds of at least 10Mbps for 80 percent of New Zealanders by the end of 2011.

ENDS

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