More international bandwidth and backhaul network for Orcon

Auckland ISP Orcon, which has traditionally aligned itself with Telecom, says it has bought 20% more international bandwidth — but from Telecom competitors MCI/Verizon and Asia Netcom.

Subject to Telecom network congestion, the added capacity will allow its customers to get the most out of their broadband and dial-up connections, according to Orcon’s general manager of operations and regulatory affairs Scott Bartlett.

Bartlett says the ISP has also set up an national data backhaul network, which connects to the TelstraClear’s national backbone. It is, he says, essentially an extension thereof, and the first stages in Wellington and Masterton will be ready in a few weeks.

Christchurch is expected to come online within 6-7 weeks, Bartlett says. Orcon has bought smaller ISPs in the areas covered, such as WiseNet in Masterton.

Orcon wants to resell the bandwidth to other ISPs, Bartlett says, and adds that it will offer circuits as small as 5Mbit/s but with full redundancy at an undisclosed “good price”. Connections to Orcon’s backhaul service can be made through Ethernet or ATM interfaces, he says.

Orcon was the first ISP to announce it would offer Telecom’s new faster broadband plans. However a number of customers have complained that the new plans will cost more than the plans they replace.