Chorus : Better rural broadband for Nelson

The upgraded cabinet near Appleby means Chorus has now upgraded 42 cabinets in the Nelson/Marlborough region since the Rural Broadband Initiative started.

Chorus Executive Vanessa Oakley says the latest upgrades will no doubt be well received by residents and businesses.

"Slow internet speeds have been a concern for businesses and residents in this area for a while, so it's pleasing to be able to provide substantially-improved infrastructure.

"There's no question that access to better broadband makes a significant difference to the lives of rural New Zealanders, and this work programme shows how passionate we are about improving rural connectivity."

Before the cabinet upgrade, residents and businesses could generally only access broadband speeds of between 1 and 5Mbps. However, during peak times, those speeds would likely slow considerably.

Following the upgrade, residents and businesses should now be able to experience speeds of between 10 and 20Mbps, depending on the distance to the broadband cabinet. Residents who live within about 1km of their cabinet should be able to access a VDSL broadband service with speeds in excess of 20 Mbps. This is the fastest service over Chorus' existing copper network.

More importantly, the upgraded cabinet will mean better quality broadband. For example, during peak times when lots of people are using the internet, the broadband speeds will remain consistent.

The work Chorus has completed to date in Nelson has already resulted in a significant improvement to broadband speeds for those connected to the copper network through the Rural Broadband Initiative.

The average broadband connection speed in Nelson has surged more than 120 per cent, increasing from 5.6Mbps to 12.3Mbps. At the same time, more households and businesses are also connecting to the upgraded network, with latest figures showing connections have increased more than 270 per cent to about 400.

"More reliable and consistent broadband speeds will provide faster upload speeds for photographs and images, faster download speeds for music and movies, and better, clearer video conversations with friends and family.

"Better broadband also helps rural businesses connect easily to the world and run applications from cloud-based services, reducing IT costs and improving business resilience.

"In practical terms for rural businesses, such as farms, this means better connection to services like livestock improvement records and markets overseas, as well as improving time management through online purchasing. Technology plays a big part in modern farming and now more residents in Nelson can be part of that."

Ms Oakley says that although the broadband network has been upgraded, residents and businesses also have an important part to play in making the most of the upgraded broadband capability.

"A broadband service is also affected by factors including broadband internet connection plan, modem, computer and the wiring in the home or business.

"We also encourage residents and businesses to talk directly with their internet service provider to find out how they can make the most of our upgraded network."

The work in Nelson is part of Chorus' involvement in the Government's Rural Broadband Initiative. As part of this work, Chorus is upgrading about 1200 broadband cabinets in rural areas throughout New Zealand.

The estimated cost of Chorus' RBI work is in the range of $280-$295 million, with Chorus contributing 15-20 per cent of the cost.

1. Check your address on our map
2. Contact your broadband provider to upgrade your plan
3. You may need to upgrade your modem

ENDS

For further information:
Nathan Beaumont
Stakeholder Communications Manager
Mobile: 021 243 8412
Email: Nathan.beaumont@chorus.co.nz

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