Chorus invests a further $900,000 for Akaroa broadband

News Release – 28 April 2011

Chorus invests a further $900,000 to rev-up broadband speeds in Akaroa

Local telecommunications network operator Chorus has begun the next stage in its work to rev-up broadband speeds in Akaroa by deploying a 27km fibre optic cable from Lincoln to Ataahua

The new cable is scheduled to be completed by the end of June at a cost of around $900,000 and is part of a massive investment project which builds on the 4,000km of fibre optic cable already deployed in the Canterbury region.

This project marks the second major upgrade to the Banks Peninsula telecommunications network in the last eighteen months. Chorus completed its work to deploy 35 kilometres of fibre optic cable from Little River to Akaroa in April last year, the first stage in its work to rev-up broadband speeds in Akaroa.

The amount of fibre optic cable in the wider Telecom network has passed the 27,000km mark, with the amount of new fibre being laid by Chorus eclipsing traditional copper cabling for the first time.

Chorus Head of Field Services Ed Beattie said that this new cable will provide the platform for increased telecommunications capacity in the region and is part of Telecom’s commitment to enable the delivery of broadband connections of at least 10Mbps to 80 percent of New Zealanders by the end of the year.

"The greater transmission capacity provided by this fibre optic cable will support high-speed data services for Akaroa, such as ADSL2+ broadband connectivity, as well as act as the springboard for even faster speeds in the future,” he said.

As work progresses from Lincoln to Ataahua, the road shoulder adjacent to the immediate area of work may be closed and temporary driving speed restrictions put in place as technicians use specialist equipment to deploy fibre optic cable.

“We would like to thank motorists for their patience as we work to upgrade the network,” said Mr Beattie.

Chorus is nearly three quarters of the way through the rollout of 467 fibre-fed cabinets in the Canterbury region with more than 158,000 customers now in reach of high-speed broadband services. By the end of this year, Chorus will complete the nationwide deployment of 3,600 fibre-fed cabinets and 2,500km of fibre optic cable.

End.

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://wwwchorus.co.nz/enhancing-the-broadband-network

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

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