Computerworld

Faster deployment on the cards as Enable unveils Christchurch rollout plans

“Hopefully, this announcement offers people some certainty about when fibre will be available in their areas.”

New Zealand fibre network provider Enable has revealed its network deployment to mid-2016, along with indicative plans for reaching the remaining areas within its greater Christchurch coverage area.

Enable has set itself an aggressive target of reaching a further 33,000 homes and businesses in its Year Five deployment programme – which runs until July 2016.

“Last year we announced a Year Four build programme to provide fibre broadband services to 26,000 more homes and businesses,” says Steve Fuller, CEO, Enable.

“We will have actually extended our network by 30,000 homes and businesses when we finish this programme.

“This performance has given us the confidence to respond to the rapidly growing demand for fibre broadband across the city by making services available to even more potential customers in the coming year.”

The Year Five programme of work will see some suburbs such as Hillmorton, Hoon Hay, St Martins, Ferrymead and Sumner receive fibre broadband services for the first time.

According to Fuller, it includes the majority of remaining areas within the Four Avenues; large parts of St Albans, Edgeware, Richmond, Addington, Opawa and Hillsborough; and near completion of Enable’s network deployment in the north-west suburbs.

Also, it includes a focus on reaching the final fifteen schools in Christchurch and delivering services to 90 percent of businesses by the end of December 2015 - targets that will be met under this plan.

Along with announcing Enable’s Year Five programme, Enable has also published its remaining programme of work.

“We receive a large number of enquiries about when we will deliver fibre broadband to specific areas and we are responding to these enquiries from our community by sharing our indicative plans,” Fuller adds.

“We regularly hear from IT advisors looking to help their customers choose fibre-ready business locations, people interested in homes where fibre broadband is available and individuals wanting to know whether they should hold off on a new broadband contract until fibre arrives.

“Hopefully, this announcement offers people some certainty about when fibre will be available in their areas.”

Fuller says the two remaining build programmes are indicative at this stage, with the plan to build Year Six areas from mid-2016 to mid-2017, and remaining areas by the end of 2018 at the latest.

“As soon as we complete one programme, we will finalise the next and roll our network build resources into these areas,” Fuller adds.

“We aim to make fibre broadband available to everyone as quickly as possible.”