16 September 2011

High speed broadband roll-out comes to Rolleston

Local telecommunications network operator Chorus has begun switching on new fibre-fed broadband cabinets in Rolleston as part of a $1 million project to enable high speed internet access.

Customers in Rolleston had been experiencing slow broadband and in some cases, no broadband, because the telecommunications network servicing the area was originally built for voice services, well before broadband existed.

Chorus General Manager of Network Build Chris Dyhrberg said locals had been requesting better broadband access, so Chorus has been working to re-engineer the network and install new fibre-fed broadband cabinets.

“We’ve listened and this investment means that Rolleston is beginning to see the benefits of greater broadband capacity and world class broadband capability.

“Each new cabinet is worth more than $100,000 and can connect up to 384 customers,” he said.

The first new cabinet was switched on at the beginning of the month, with a total of six cabinets to be switched on by the end of next week. A further three cabinets will be completed by the end of the year.

New fibre-fed cabinets and fibre optic cable have been deployed in local streets to bring high speed broadband equipment closer to customers. Mr Dyhrberg said they’re bringing the equipment closer to people because the closer they are to the equipment the faster their broadband speed is.

"Each cabinet is the equivalent of a mini telephone exchange and contains the electronic equipment needed to deliver high speed broadband to homes via Chorus' network.

"Around half of homes connected to the new cabinets are 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," he said.

Customers who have been waiting for broadband service in the Rolleston urban area should be contacted by their service provider once the cabinet connecting their address is switched on and a broadband port is available.

Customers within 2km of a new cabinet should be able to connect at faster ADSL2+ broadband speeds subject to other factors including their broadband plan, modem, computer, and the wiring in their home or business. Customers near the local telephone exchange continue to have their broadband service delivered from equipment based there.

Fibre-fed cabinet facts:

• Chorus has been upgrading cabinets across more than 20 centres around New Zealand. Taupo, Greymouth, Gore, Masterton and Whangarei were the first towns to have their broadband upgrades completed
• About 750,000 customers will be connected to Chorus’ cabinets by the end of 2011
• Each cabinet will generally service up to 300 customers
• The cabinet body is made of 240kg of marine grade aluminium
• Cabinets are coated in a special paint to facilitate graffiti removal
• They contain battery back-up power supply as well as a generator connection in case of power-cuts
• At full load a cabinet uses 1200 watts, the same power as a one-bar heater
• They are designed to limit noise to about 30 decibels, just above the level of a whisper
• 650 key parts in each cabinet (1,150 including fastenings)
• 2 tonnes of concrete per cabinet base

About Chorus
Chorus is the operationally separate Telecom business unit that manages the local access network in New Zealand. The Chorus network is made up of local telephone exchanges and copper or fibre optic cables that connect approximately 1.8 million New Zealand homes and businesses. Its field service technicians visit more than one million homes and businesses each year to install or repair phone or internet services for a range of telecommunications providers.

Information on Chorus’ high speed broadband project can be viewed online at: http://www.chorus.co.nz/fibretothecabinet

The Telecom Group's fibre optic network can be viewed online at www.broadbandmap.govt.nz

ENDS

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