'Rallying call' to Chorus subcontractors prompts outcry
A union’s claim that phone and data lines in Auckland and Northland are under threat is being vigourously denied by Chorus and its contractor Visionstream.
A union’s claim that phone and data lines in Auckland and Northland are under threat is being vigourously denied by Chorus and its contractor Visionstream.
Telecom intends to split into two separate companies nominally called Chorus2 and ServCo by the end of the year, in order to participate in the Ultra Fast Broadband network. Each company will have its own board, CEO, staff and an entirely separate public listing on the NZX.
Telecom has announced that acting Telecom Wholesale CEO Nick Clarke will now report directly to Mark Ratcliffe, CEO of Chorus.
Chorus has announced that it is now more than 80 percent of the way through its roadside cabinet rollout, with the 3,000 mark, out of a total of 3,600 cabinets to be deployed, reached.
Fitch Ratings has placed Telecom's long- and short-term debt on "rating watch negative" in the wake of the decision to spin off Chorus as a separate company.
Vector’s bid to partner with the government in the Ultra Fast Broadband network has failed, but the company may still have a role to play – working with Chorus in its roll out.
TelstraClear CEO Allan Freeth is “95 per cent certain” that Telecom will get the bulk of the Ultra Fast Broadband initiative – the remaining 25 areas, or around 80 percent of the build.
Telecom's network arm Chorus is offering to partially rewire houses that are getting poor quality broadband because of substandard wiring — for a fee — at the same time as "future-proofing them" by providing dedicated connections for internet telephones and net-connected televisions.
Spokesman Brett Jackson said Chorus would install a "service delivery point" with high-speed internet (Cat5e) cabling for about $200. Customers would order the work to be done through their internet provider.
The boxes could benefit people who had poor quality phone lines or connections running into their home or who did not already have a splitter installed to separate internet traffic from voice calls.
Broadband modems, phones, home alarms and Sky set-top boxes are often "daisy chained" on to existing phone wiring. The service delivery points, patented by Chorus and manufactured by Palmerston North company Remote Management Systems, provides a single high-quality outlet into which new devices can be directly connected.
Broadband users should be able to find out from their internet provider whether they would be likely to be benefit, Mr Jackson said.
Telecommunications Users Association chief executive Ernie Newman said a lot of home wiring was in an "appalling state" and welcomed the service.
But he said it could be a "grey area" who should pay. Many people were paying fees for wiring maintenance — and even for home phones that they no longer used — as part of their phone bill. However, it might be most practical for homeowners to take responsibility.
Mr Jackson said there should be no point in installing the service delivery points in new homes which should have good quality wiring, though Chorus' experience was that wiring in some new homes could be substandard.
Wiring maintenance insurance was "a different kettle of fish" because it covered "wear and tear over time". "If something goes wrong with your internal wiring or sockets the cost of repair would be covered."
Chorus plans to incorporate batteries into the service points so internet phones will be usable during power cuts. Internet phones are expected to become commonplace by 2020 when the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is due to be phased out.
Telecom has confirmed its proposal to structurally separate in order to participate in the government’s billion-dollar urban and rural broadband initiatives.
Should Telecom consider structural separation for Chorus? The question is alive and under active pursuit by media. The answer is far more complex than the headlines suggest.
Chorus, the infrastructure arm of Telecom, is working hard on shortening the local copper loop. Around the country, people are starting to see the large green Whisper cabinets made by Eaton in Christchurch in the streets. Chorus announced on May 3 that the cabinet installation process was half-way through, with 1800 of the planned 3600 cabinets activated.
TelstraClear CEO Allan Freeth is championing Telecom’s Chorus wholesale division as the best candidate to provide the government's planned $1.5 billion Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) network.
Access seekers looking to buy or lease unlit optical fibre from Telecom’s network company Chorus will have to look elsewhere as they won’t be served.
Telecom and contractor Visionstream are claiming victory in their industrial dispute with the engineers union, which brushes that off as a sign of desperation.
ISP Orcon is warning customers that faults and new connections are being delayed by Telecom network operator Chorus's industrial dispute with contractors.