Chorus confirms UFB plans for coming year

MEDIA RELEASE – 28 September 2012

Chorus confirms UFB plans for coming year

Chorus today confirmed its plans for the third year of its Ultra-Fast Broadband deployment.

The July 2013 to June 2014 plan will see Chorus start building the UFB network in eight new towns – Waiuku, Pukekohe, Gisborne, Feilding, Levin, Kapiti, Upper Hutt, and Greymouth as well as continuing to extend its fibre network even further in areas where work is already underway.

Chorus General Manager of Network Build Chris Dyhrberg said that today’s announcement sees even more towns at the start of the road to UFB.

“We’re building momentum with 62,000 customers already in reach of fibre services today, and some 240 crews working across the country,” said Dyhrberg.

With the deployment well underway, Chorus is taking the next step working with local councils, communities and the industry to build excitement around the benefits fibre can deliver for residents and businesses.

Chorus shared its indicative year three plans with the industry and local councils before finalising them, so it could collect feedback before confirming the next stage of its rollout.

“By asking for feedback, we’ve been able to coordinate civil work and minimise disruptions for local residents,” said Dyhrberg.

Chorus is now working on its UFB plans to take it beyond 2014 and will share these with the industry and local councils, helping them to make the most of fibre when it comes to their area.

In line with UFB policy, fibre will be delivered first to priority customers, which includes schools, hospitals, medical facilities and businesses.

Chorus website has as an online map outlining the UFB deployment areas, its initial deployment plans and business fibre areas. This means people can check on the rollout progress and find out if they can connect to the existing business fibre network ahead of the UFB deployment.

In all, Chorus will extend the reach of its existing 29,000km fibre network to deploy UFB past more than 830,000 urban homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and medical facilities throughout New Zealand by the end of 2019.

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Year three deployment plans by candidate area

Covering the build period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014.

· Ashburton: some areas in Allenton, Tinwald, and Netherby

· Auckland: some areas in Pinehill, Northcross, Rothesay Bay, Browns Bay, Rosedale, Sunnynook, Forest Hill, Milford, Northcote, Birkenhead, Chatswood, Beach Haven, Auckland’s central business district, Newton, New Lynn, Glen Eden, Henderson, Onehunga, Mangere and Mangere East, Papatoetoe, East Tamaki

· Blenheim: some areas of Witherlea

· Dunedin: some areas in Halfway Bush, Kaikorai, Kenmure, Saint Clair and Mosgiel

· Feilding: Central Feilding

· Gisborne: Some areas of the central business district and Inner Kaiti

· Greymouth: some of the central business area.

· Invercargill: some areas in Waikiwi, Newfield, Waverly and Windsor

· Kapiti: some areas of Paraparaumu

· Levin: some areas of central Levin

· Masterton: the Lansdowne and central Masterton area

· Napier & Hastings: some areas of Onekawa, and Taradale in Napier. Some areas of the central business district and Flaxmere in Hastings.

· Nelson and Richmond: some of the outer areas of Richmond township and the Stoke and Nelson Airport area.

· Oamaru: some areas in Holmes Hill, South Hill, and Oamaru North,

· Palmerston North: some areas of Hokowhitu and Milson

· Pukekohe – some of the central areas of Pukekohe township

· Queenstown: some of the Frankton and Fernhill area

· Rotorua: some areas of Westbrook, Tihiotonga, Springfield and Lynmore

· Taupo: some areas in Acacia Bay, Brentwood, Tauhara, Richmond Heights and areas around Rangatira Park.

· Timaru: some areas in Westend, Gleniti and Marchwiel

· Waiuku: some of the central areas of Waiuku township

· Greater Wellington region including Masterton: Wellington (some of the central business area), Hutt City (some areas of Lower Hutt, Gracefield, Silverstream, and Upper Hutt), Porirua (some areas of Tawa, Cannons Creek, Waitangirua, Whitby, Paramate and Plimmerton), Masterton (some of the northern areas of the town).

· Whakatane: some of the northern and central areas of the township.

Chorus is New Zealand's largest telecommunications utility company. It maintains and builds a network predominately made up of local telephone exchanges, cabinets and some 1.8 million copper and fibre optic lines connecting homes and businesses throughout the country. Its open access network and innovative new wholesale products and services are used by many different phone and internet service providers, helping them to deliver the services their customers rely on. Chorus is included in the NZX 10 Index comprising New Zealand's 10 largest domestic companies. More information is available at www.chorus.co.nz.

Information on Chorus’ UFB project can be viewed online at: www.chorus.co.nz/ultrafast-broadband

Chorus’ online map outlining its UFB candidate areas, the first year deployment plans and its business fibre area can be viewed at: www.chorus.co.nz/fibre-rollout-map

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