The fibre network

The UFB (Ultra-Fast Broadband) programme has been a game changer for internet access in Aotearoa, with fibre broadband available to 87% of New Zealand’s population.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t able to cover all areas of the country.

If you live outside a fibre coverage area areas, Chorus may still be able to bring our fibre network to you or your community, but the process will need to be privately funded by end users as it’s not part of the funded UFB programme.

This is to cover the costs of things like traffic management, consents, trenching, and installing equipment in the street and your local exchange.

Submitting a customised install request

Customised installations to locations outside the UFB footprint are usually expensive – anywhere from a few thousand up to tens of thousands of dollars depending on the distance from the existing fibre network.

That’s why we strongly encourage people who would like Chorus to bring our fibre network to their area to rally a group of neighbours or your whole community to share the costs of having fibre installed at the same time (instead of a single address bearing the whole cost of extending fibre). Each address can then enjoy all the performance and speed benefits of fibre broadband.

In such situations, Chorus does require a single representative to act on behalf of other properties in your area, which can involve collection of payments from other participants in the build area.

We can connect individual homes without a group sharing plan, but you will need to pay the full cost of extending the fibre network all the way to your home. To find out more please contact us directly.

Completing a subdivision or developing a new site? Check out our New Property Development process.

Enjoy the fibre difference

Independent testing shows fibre broadband plans offers greater speed and capacity than ADSL and VDSL (services delivered over the copper network) and 4G wireless broadband.

While it can be expensive to bring fibre to a location a long way from existing Chorus fibre network equipment, there’s plenty of reasons why it could be a worthwhile investment for you.

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Home and lifestyle

Just because you’ve chosen to move to the country or a more remote location for lifestyle reasons, doesn’t mean you have to give up the quality internet access you’re used to in the city. A move to fibre allows multiple people in a household to happily stream TV, download games while connecting smart devices in the home.

Farms

For rural businesses, fibre can help them maximise the benefits of their IT and connected systems. Whether that’s software that runs irrigation systems, automation in cowsheds, or enabling a business model that offers consumers the full paddock to plate experience, and fibre isn't affected by electric fences.

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An ethernet cable plugged into a laptop

Business

Whether home-based businesses or those at a business premises, fibre will greatly improve your ability to communicate through video-conference apps like Zoom as well as make its cloud software run more smoothly.

Communities

We can provide a quote to connect a single premise, a group of neighbours or your whole community. Each home will enjoy consistently fast speeds, even during peak usage times. So, if you can, why not get your neighbours together and share the cost of upgrading your connection.

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Are there any other options?

For places where a fibre connection is too expensive or not viable, wireless or satellite broadband can serve as an alternative way to support phone and internet services at an address.

Chorus is planning an extension of our fibre network into areas outside the current UFB footprint. However, this new build programme is still dependent on policy approvals and funding, and should it proceed, it will likely be limited in the short term to urban fringe areas rather than remote rural locations.

Next steps

Whatever work or life stage you are at, if you value good connectivity but can’t currently get fibre - Chorus can help. Here are the steps you need to take to find out how to get connected:

1

Check address

Check to see if fibre is available or planned where you are.

2

Contact your provider

If it isn’t, choose a provider and ask them to estimate the cost of fibre connection.

3

Receive an estimate /agree

If you are happy with the estimated fibre connection price, you will then be provided with a more detailed fixed quote.

4

Get connected

If you choose to proceed, Chorus or a local service provider will connect you to the fibre network.

Frequently asked