- Release Date: 17/12/13 11:00
- Summary: GENERAL: CNU: Ultra-fast broadband on the horizon for Greymouth
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CNU 17/12/2013 09:00 GENERAL REL: 0900 HRS Chorus Limited (NS) GENERAL: CNU: Ultra-fast broadband on the horizon for Greymouth MEDIA RELEASE 17 December 2013 Ultra-fast broadband on the horizon for Greymouth Chorus has today commenced work to deploy its ultra-fast broadband network in Greymouth, supported by local lines company Westpower. About 3,500 premises will be passed by the UFB rollout in Greymouth and eight schools connected directly to fibre. Chorus has contracted local company Electronet to carry out the work to build UFB in the town. Following an agreement with local power company Westpower, a large section of the UFB build in Greymouth will be installed on existing power poles. Chorus' General Manager for Infrastructure, Ed Beattie, said this is the first area where Chorus is deploying its fibre network overhead. "Westpower and Electronet share our views on the socio-economic benefits of ultra-fast broadband and have taken a very collaborative approach to working with us to bring fibre to their region as soon as possible. "The Greymouth fibre network will be a mix of underground and aerial cabling, and using Westpower's existing poles means we can minimise the disruption to the community that digging up roads and footpaths would otherwise bring," he said. "It also means we can get on with our deployment faster, and help ensure the community can get access to UFB sooner." The aerial fibre cable has been specially designed for Chorus and takes into account local New Zealand conditions, being only 11mm in diameter it is expected to blend into the existing aerial lines and have minimal visual impact for the community. "Westpower's enthusiasm for the project has enabled us to bring forward our use of aerial network from FY15 and is a model that we hope to replicate in other areas as the rollout programme continues to gain momentum," Beattie said. Rob Caldwell, Group Chief Executive of Electronet said that Greymouth gets twice the benefit with the Chorus rollout starting. "We kick off the work to bring ultra-fast broadband to Greymouth homes and businesses, and boost the local economy by contracting to Electronet and providing additional revenue to Westpower. It's a great outcome for us." Electronet will be responsible for connecting Chorus' fibre cabling/ducting to Westpower poles just below existing power lines. Once the network rollout is completed in an area end users will be able to request an ultra-fast broadband service from their retail service provider and Chorus will connect them to the network at that time. Chorus is building about 70% of the UFB network in a public-private partnership with Government. Chorus has 24 areas around New Zealand where it is deploying the UFB network and expects to have passed 830,900 premises with fibre by the end of 2019. At 30 September Chorus had completed work to build the UFB network past about 171,500 premises, bringing 226,000 end users within reach of the network. This included 41,639 priority premises (schools, hospitals and businesses), meaning 54% of priority premises had been passed. ENDS Electronet Services is the contracting subsidiary company of Westpower Ltd., that owns and operates the electricity distribution network on West Coast of New Zealand. The shares in the company are held by the West Coast Electric Power Trust on behalf of the electors of the district. Electronet commenced operating in October 1997 and now provides electrical services coast-wide and across the South Island. The main office is situated on Tainui Street, Greymouth with depots in Reefton, Hokitika and Harihari. ElectroNet Services are the West Coast's leading Domestic, Industrial and Commercial Electrical Contractors. For further information: Ian Bonnar Corporate Affairs Manager Phone: +64 9 358 6061 Mobile: +64 (27) 215 7564 Email: [email protected] Brett Jackson Investor Relations Manager Phone: +64 4 498 9271 Mobile: +64 (27) 488 7808 Email: [email protected] End CA:00245278 For:CNU Type:GENERAL Time:2013-12-17 09:00:05
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