Next gen broadband piloted over open fibre network

19 June 2008

Next generation broadband being piloted over open access fibre network

The next generation of broadband delivering content-rich services to New Zealand households over an open access fibre network is being piloted in a new housing development in Orewa, north of Auckland.

In a joint project Telecom Wholesale and WorldxChange Communications are working together to deliver phone and broadband services over fibre optic cable connected directly to homes in Kensington Park, which is being developed by Kensington Properties.

Kensington Park is the first housing community project in New Zealand to have the open access fibre-to-the-home piloted. This is preparation for it to be replicated in another 13 developments and 3,500 households throughout the country where fibre is being deployed over the next 24 months.

As an open access product the Telecom Wholesale service, which will be developed on completion of the pilot, will be able to be used by other service providers to deliver services.

Telecom Wholesale Chief Executive Matt Crockett says: “Faster, more consistent broadband is being made available to increasing numbers of New Zealanders with Telecom’s commitment to push fibre closer to the home as part of our $1.4 billion investment in next generation broadband technology.

“In addition to ADSL2+ broadband electronics in our exchanges, 3,600 new roadside cabinets are bringing fibre and ADSL2+ closer to New Zealand homes and businesses. Where it is economically viable Telecom will get fibre straight into the home, as we are in Kensington Park.”

In Orewa, Telecom Wholesale is piloting the underlying high-speed broadband- over-fibre product which service provider WorldxChange is using to develop services for new homeowners.

“These residents have the scope to enjoy a huge combination of applications such as high definition voice calling, video calling, IPTV, video-on-demand and home security systems,” Mr Crockett said.

“We are delighted to be providing the next generation of wholesale broadband products over fibre which will support service providers to develop new services for their customers.”

WorldxChange is delivering a suite of broadband-over-fibre services with an easy-to-use online portal so their customers can adjust settings to suit their needs.

“This project gives us the opportunity to really showcase the types of services that New Zealanders will be having in their homes in the not too distant future,” says WorldxChange Director of Operations and Carrier Paul Clarkin.

WorldxChange has invested in developing IP (Internet Protocol) technology for five years, including developing their own Xnet VFX digital voice over broadband service which allows users to control features such as three-way calling, voicemail notification and call forwarding.

“This is the first step towards bringing home networks to life, and paves the way to support a host of innovative and more content-rich services,” said Mr Clarkin.

Kensington Properties Managing Director Patrick Fontein said the new housing community demonstrated how technology can be used to enhance modern lifestyles and the environment.

“We’re very pleased that all the homes in Kensington Park are future-proofed for advances in technology and that these advances are achieved without visual impediments, such as satellite dishes,” said Mr Fontein.

Telecom Wholesale is trialling two variants of broadband over fibre which will provide either a voice-only service or broadband (including voice), which will support download speeds up to 30 megabits per second (Mbps) and an upload speed of 6Mbps. A 30Mbps symmetrical service is planned for later in the pilot.

Lessons learnt from the broadband-over-fibre pilot will be used to inform the design and deployment of a fully equivalent, fibre-based broadband service that will be available to all service providers in first the half of 2009. These services are expected to include variants with speeds up to 100Mbps symmetrical.

Telecom Wholesale
Telecom Wholesale is an operationally separate business unit within Telecom New Zealand that delivers next generation network connectivity products to service providers throughout New Zealand. Its broadband, business data, voice and interconnect products given wholesale customers the foundation on which to build their own network or telecommunication services for their end-users.

WorldxChange
WorldxChange is a privately owned telecommunications carrier that has been operating in New Zealand since 1996. The company has 65 employees and 70,000 voice, data and internet customers nationwide. WorldxChange specialise in fully convergent IP solutions and was voted 2007 TUANZ Telecommunications Carrier of the Year.

Kensington Properties
Kensington is a fully integrated, real estate development company, focusing on high quality, master-planned developments, such as Kensington Park in Orewa. The company has completed approximately 20 projects since its formation in 1996. Kensington has won many national awards, most recently achieving a triple success in the CNBC Asia Pacific Property Awards, the international property industry’s equivalent of the Oscars. Kensington Park won in the Best Overall Development, Best Architecture and Best Property Marketing categories and is now in line to progress to the global awards for property development excellence.

ENDS

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