NZ fibre connections peak as Rugby World Cup looms

Chorus says it made a record number of fibre connections in August, with more than 16,700 new installations during the month. The company says the surge in demand is doe to consumers preparing to live-stream next year’s Rugby World Cup, as well as the increasing shift of content online.

In April, Spark announced that it, along with TVNZ, had won the rights to broadcast the 2019 Rugby World Cup. While some games will be shown on free-to-air television, Spark plans to provide streaming coverage and will sell subscription packages. The company says it will not restrict sales to its own broadband customers.

Because the tournament is taking place in Japan, TV coverage may include 4K technology, with 8K also a possibility.This makes fibre a natural fit for the event.

Fibre broadband rollout ahead of schedule

The first stage of the UFB network will be complete by the time the Rugby World Cup kicks off, with some later fibre deployments also in place. By then, around 80 percent of the population should have access to fast broadband.

Getting everyone connected in time remains a challenge. Spark has warned rugby fans not to leave the switch to fibre until the last minute, and it seems many have taken heed.

Focus on streamlining fibre installations

Ed Hyde, Chorus’ chief customer officer, says: “We’ve been really focused on making the fibre installation experience more streamlined because we know consumers love fibre once they have it.

“New Zealanders are streaming more television, music, movies, and games and are downloading large files, often over multiple devices at the same time. Fibre plays a pivotal role in this.”

Strong fibre uptake exceeds expectations

Chorus had already seen a surge in fibre uptake, completing 156,000 new connections in the past year. At the end of the last financial year, fibre uptake on the Chorus network reached 45 percent, far exceeding the projections made when the UFB network was announced in 2009.

Hyde says: “Thanks to the availability of better broadband, the average speed on Chorus’ network is now over 82.8Mbps,and households are using an average of 215GB of data per month.

“It’s fantastic to see people using fibre broadband to enhance their lives, both personally and from a business perspective. It is transforming New Zealand’s economy, connecting us more closely than ever with the rest of the world, and allowing New Zealanders to keep up with global trends, such as streaming content.”

Margin squeeze sees Vodafone profit fall 16 percent

Vodafone reported a 16 percent fall in profit. The telco says its margins were squeezed by higher costs, including a bigger wage bill.

Profit was $40 million, down from $47.6 a year earlier.

Despite rising customer numbers, revenue was essentially flat at a shade over $2 billion. The company ended the year with 2.56 million mobile customers and 426,000 broadband customers. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation fell five percent to $403 million. Vodafone's wage bill was up 4.4 percent during the year.

Commerce Commission keeps mobile roaming regulation powers

The Commerce Commission says it will not investigate deregulating national mobile roaming. Under the current rules the three mobile operators must give new operators wholesale access to their networks.

This means a newcomer can win customers by offering nationwide coverage while it builds its own network. The regulations helped 2degrees get off the ground when it first launched. By law the Commerce Commission has look at deregulating roaming every five years. This time around it decided to keep it in place.

Spark official America's Cup comms partner

Spark will be the official telecommunications and connectivity partner for Emirates Team New Zealand and for the America’s Cup event due to take place in Auckland in early 2021.

The deal means Spark will provide telecommunications both on and off the water. It also gives Spark exclusive rights to provide telecommunications within the areas controlled by the company organising the cup.

If everything goes to plan, the event will give Spark a high profile opportunity to showcase 5G mobile. At least part of a network should be in place by then. The telco has located its 5G Innovation Lab in the Wynyard Quarter near the Emirates Team New Zealand base. It plans to start live testing the technology there later this year.

Kordia adds Microsoft Teams direct routing

Kordia says it now offers Direct Routing for Microsoft Teams. This means companies who use Microsoft Office 365 to get more from the software's built-in voice and video calling.

Microsoft Teams is the collaboration part of Microsoft Office. It brings together workplace chat, meetings, notes and attachments. Until now New Zealand customers have not been able to use the full set of features where users can talk to each other using voice over internet protocol (VoIP) or make video conference calls.

Vodafone wins Meridian Energy

Vodafone has won a $16 million dollar telecommunications contract with Meridian Energy. The deal means Vodafone will be Meridian's preferred service provider for four years. It will supply a full suite of services including data, voice and mobility services.

Vodafone Smales Farm HQ now official

Vodafone has been operating from the Innov8 building at Smales Farm on Auckland's North Shore for some months now. This week the new headquarters was formally opened in the smart building that originally housed TelstraClear. Innov8 can accomodate 2000 people. There are 70 meeting rooms over six levels. It has Internet of Things sensors that, among other tasks, manage building, room and locker access.

Chorus appoints Collins as CFO

David Collins is to take over as Chorus CFO from December. He replaces Andrew Caroll who will move to a new role as general manager of network and field manager. Collins has 20 years experience in finance. He has previously worked in Australia, the UK, Germany and the Middle East.

Chorus CEO Kate McKenzie says: “We are delighted to have secured a CFO of David’s calibre, who brings deep experience in regulated infrastructure and capital markets." She says Collin’s appointment is the last in a recent series fo executive changes.