Hamilton high speed broadband roll-out completed

Hamilton high speed broadband roll-out completed

Thousands more Hamilton residents can now benefit from faster internet access as local telecommunications network operator Chorus completes its work to rev-up broadband speeds.

Chorus has deployed 65km of fibre optic cable and installed 137 new fibre-fed roadside cabinets to enable broadband speeds of at least 10Mbps to homes and businesses across Hamilton.

This three-year investment programme has built upon the 440km of fibre already in the Hamilton network and is part of Telecom's commitment to enable the delivery of high speed broadband to 80 percent of New Zealanders by the end of this year.

Chorus General Manager of Network Build Chris Dyhrberg said around 58,000 Hamilton customers are now within reach of faster internet access.

"We've extended our fibre optic cable network further into local neighbourhoods and installed new roadside cabinets. These cabinets provide broadband services to those customers who were previously too far from the broadband equipment in their local telephone exchange to access fast broadband."

"Service providers are already installing broadband equipment which can deliver speeds of up to 40Mbps for customers within about one kilometre of our cabinets," he said.

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

In addition to completing the broadband network upgrade, Chorus has opened up access to its existing business fibre network for ultra-fast broadband (UFB) services at significantly reduced prices.

"We have a large existing fibre network, particularly in the CBD area, which many internet service providers can use to connect Hamilton businesses to ultra-fast broadband today," said Dyhrberg.

Businesses can find out if they are within Chorus' business fibre coverage area by checking their address online at http://www.chorus.co.nz/ch-ournetwork

Mr Dyhrberg noted that 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. We encourage Hamilton residents who believe their broadband performance is still limited in some way to talk directly with their broadband service provider."

Many phone and internet service providers deliver services using Chorus' network. Chorus focuses on doing what they do well, building and maintaining networks, so providers can create great new services tailored for their customers.

In all, Chorus now only has 100 fibre-fed broadband cabinets left to deploy to complete the national rollout of 3,600, building on Telecom's existing 27,700km national fibre optic cable network.

End.

Fibre-fed cabinet facts:

* Chorus has been upgrading cabinets across more than 20 centres around New Zealand
* 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, copper or fibre optic cables and 1.8 million lines connecting NZ 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 http://www.broadbandmap.govt.nz

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