Tokoroa switching on to fast broadband

Tokoroa switching on to fast broadband

Chorus, Telecom's network access business, has begun switching on the first of 13 new roadside cabinets to enhance the broadband network in Tokoroa.

Four cabinets, connecting 900 customers, have now been switched on and the remainder will be live by the end of this year.

Chorus is installing about 3,600 Whisper cabinets and adding 2,500kms of fibre optic cable to Telecom's existing 23,500kms fibre network to deliver faster broadband to towns with 500 lines or more by the end of 2011. About 10kms of fibre optic cable is being laid in South Waikato, building on the 160kms already in the network.

Chorus Fibre-to-the-Node Programme Manager Ed Beattie said each cabinet is the equivalent of a mini telephone exchange.

"The cabinets contain the electronic equipment needed to deliver broadband to homes via Chorus' local telecommunications access network.

"Previously, this equipment would have been housed in the local telephone exchange and the whole reason we're bringing it closer to people is because the closer you are to the equipment the faster your broadband speed is," he said.

Customers within 2km of a new cabinet should be able to connect at faster ADSL2+ broadband speeds subject to other factors including their broadband plan, modem, computer, and the wiring in their home or business.

Cabinets are being installed progressively and will be switched on at different times. Customers who live near an exchange will continue to have their service delivered from there.

More than 900,000 homes and businesses around New Zealand are now within reach of fast broadband access via either telephone exchange or cabinet-based ADSL2+ equipment. This represents about 50% of the approximately 1.8 million New Zealand homes and businesses connected by Chorus.

Mr Beattie said Chorus’ new cabinets are the result of some world-leading design breakthroughs right here in New Zealand.

"These cabinets contain sophisticated electronic equipment, so a lot of work has gone into making them much quieter and more power efficient than anything before them."

Whisper cabinet facts 

§         Each cabinet costs about $150,000 and will generally service up to 300 customers

§         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

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