New Zealand network operator Chorus says that in mid-March it will launch a trial of a new broadband service offering speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second.
Eight retailers — 2degrees, 2Talk, Kordia, Orcon, Slingshot, Stuff Fibre, Trustpower and Vocus Communications — have signed up to the trial. The 10Gbps connections, based on Nokia’s XGS-PON fibre solution, are intended for use by both homes and small to medium enterprises.
Chorus said that the use of XGS-PON would allow co-existence of the ultra-fast services with current fibre broadband offerings.
“Our 10 gigabit-per-second residential and SME trial will see New Zealanders accessing one of the fastest broadband services available on the planet,” Chorus’ chief customer officer, Ed Hyde said in a statement.
“It also reinforces the ability to easily upgrade the world-class fibre infrastructure we have been building as the latest technologies become available.”
Customers with a current gigabit service on Chorus’ fibre network in have a current gigabit fibre service on Chorus’ network in Avondale, Birkenhead (Auckland) or Johnsonville (Wellington) can apply to participate in the trials through their retail provider.
“In the last eight years New Zealand has seen a meteoric progression in broadband capability,” Hyde said.
“In 2011 the average broadband speed was just 10Mbps or so. When Chorus’ fibre plans first launched in 2012 the top speed then available was 100Mbps. We were then the first to make gigabit fibre broadband available in 2014 and today this is the fastest growing plan on our network with more than 44,000 customers.”
Chorus' network includes both fibre and copper connections. Last year Chorus deployed Nokia's VDSL2 vectoring technology across its copper network, allowing to to deliver speeds of up to 130Mbps.