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Tom Pullar-Strecker/Stuff
Chorus says it believes ultrafast broadband should be extended to 95% coverage.
Broadband network company Chorus has announced it intends to completely withdraw copper-based services within 10 years and become an “all fibre-optic” company.
Chorus said in a brief statement that the move had been prompted by “customers’ evolving connectivity needs and the increasing coverage of fibre and alternative technologies”.
A significant number of the 13% of homes and businesses that do not have access to the fibre-optic ultrafast broadband (UFB) network are believed to still use copper-based connections, though many have switched to wireless broadband, including those delivered over mobile networks and satellite.
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Chorus did not state how many customers it had connected to copper in areas where UFB was not available, whether it required any regulatory approvals to remove them, or whether copper might still be the best option by speed or value for any of its customers.
It also did not state whether it would be removing retired copper lines to people’s homes free of charge.
STUFF
A group of Christchurch residents 350m beyond the edge of the city’s fibre broadband network face a costly bill to get connected. (First published May 2021)
The company has been contacted for more information.
Chief executive Jean-Baptiste Rousselot said in its early morning statement that as superior technologies emerged “we see that copper will not be sustainable or suitable to meet New Zealanders’ growing connectivity needs”.
“Our goal is to have customers on the best technology available to them and copper is no longer that solution, particularly in more remote rural areas,” he said.
Chorus remained “committed to providing essential and enduring infrastructure for our rural communities, ensuring New Zealand stays at the forefront of global connectivity trends”, he said.
The company said it estimated about “$500 million of investment” could extend its fibre network to an additional 75,000 premises, providing more than 90% of the population with access to UFB.
“However, with the right partnerships between industry, government, and consumers, we believe New Zealand can and should aim to go further than 90% fibre coverage,” Rousselot said.
“We think New Zealand should have an aspiration to reach 95%.”
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