Download Weekly: Fibre proved worth as pandemic hit

Bill Bennett -

Commerce Commission report shows fibre, copper delivered in lockdown

Despite unprecedented demand, New Zealand’s fibre and copper broadband networks performed well during the Covid–19 lockdown.

Testing done on behalf of the Commerce Commission by UK-based independent agency Samknows shows there was no significant decrease in download speeds on fibre or copper networks.

Fixed wireless broadband did not perform as well. SamKnows reports average fixed wireless download speeds fell by around 25 percent.

Fibre outperforms

The report found fibre responsiveness consistently outperformed all other technologies. Fibre latency came in at under 20ms 90 percent of the time. This is important for applications like Zoom video calls and makes a huge difference to the online gaming experience.

SamKnows reports that games hosted in New Zealand had lower latency than games hosted overseas.

Telecommunications commissioner Dr Stephen Gale says: “Chorus and other providers reported record levels of online activity. But despite that increase, the latest report from our independent testing partner, SamKnows, shows that copper and Fibre 100 plans continued to perform well, with average download speeds unaffected.

Fibre Max variation

“We’re pleased to see that Fibre Max speeds have again increased, but there is still a significant variation of results on these plans. We are working with the industry to understand the causes of this, which involves looking at hardware and the performance of individual networks."

The report, published by the Commerce Commission, notes the average download speed of Fibre Max plans, that is gigabit wholesale fibre, increased by around 50Mbps since the earlier report. The jump is down to improved performance by a single service provider.

Sky reveals broadband plan

After months of industry speculation Sky says it will enter the broadband market next year. The company says it will start by targeting its existing TV customers. Then it will focus on homes that are fibre-ready but not yet connected.

Sky says it will build its broadband service for entertainment and plans to draw on the company’s existing content.

Chief executive Martin Stewart says: “We want to provide the best possible sport and entertainment experience to New Zealanders. A high-quality, high-speed broadband service built specifically for entertainment helps us do that.

“Broadband will be a superb addition to our offering because it enables us to reward our customers with greater value whilst opening opportunities for growth.”

Doc Edge film festival switches to streaming

This year’s Doc Edge film festival will go ahead in an online format. All 57 feature films and 26 short films in the 15 year old event will be streamed between June 12 and July 5. The organisers signed Chorus as a partner to help host the event. As part of the deal Chorus’ help means 8,000 tickets will sell at half price and all 26 short films will be shown free.

Vodafone says traffic on its networks shows signs of returning to normal as New Zealand stepped down its Covid–19 lockdown. Fixed data traffic is now 15 percent above the pre-lockdown base level. It was 18 percent higher. Vodafone says voice traffic remains at 50 percent higher than in pre-lockdown times, it was 60 percent high during levels 3 and 4. Mobile data use is a little higher than during lockdown at 23 percent above the base.

$1.4 million for urban marae connections

Government has extended its $21 million programme to connect marae around the country to then internet to include urban marae in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The programme is funded through the Provincial Growth Fund. Funding includes connections along with WiFi hardware, other equipment and technical support. Each marae gets five years of free broadband access.

Draft copper withdrawal code feedback call

The Commerce Commission wants to hear feedback on its draft copper withdrawal code. The code sets out the rules Chorus needs to follow should it want to close local copper networks.

Chorus may start withdrawing copper services later this year when the code is finalised. It can only remove copper where fibre is available. Where there is no fibre, Chorus must continue to supply copper services.

The draft code says Chorus must give customers at least six months notice before it can remove copper services. Customers should get information about moving to fibre and if they order fibre, it has to be installed before copper services are closed down.

Submissions close on July 17. The Commerce Commission says it expects to finalise and publish the code in September.

Chorus renews Visionstream contract

Chorus has extended its UFB contract with Visionstream, the Australian infrastructure service company it has worked with for most of the past decade. The deal means Visionstream will continue to connect homes and businesses to fibre for the next 18 months.