Building a house - Fibre to the Home

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SaltyNZ

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Topic # 32810 24-Apr-2009 07:33
Hullo all, my wife and I are putting up a house at Windy Ridge on SH1, north of Auckland, near Puhoi. There's no chance we're close enough to the nearest DSLAM to get a signal, and we can't see the Skytower. There are several satellite (IPStar) local providers who offer services, but they are incredibly expensive (nearly $200/mth for a 5GB cap!?). I'm hoping there's a slim chance of fibre to the property, especially in light of the recent musings from our beloved government. But sadly (and predictably) I cannot find any information on who you even contact to inquire about it. Does anyone know? I'm willing to pay a bit for it. The rental we've moved into while we sort out the new house is also too far from the exchange for DSL, so for the first time in a decade I have no broadband. I tried dialup... for 5 minutes. The internet is now more or less unusable on dialup. We turned the computer off. Anyway, I already feel as if my throat's been cut. Should I struggle or just allow myself to bleed out quietly and accept that's never going to happen, $1.5 billion or not? (And don't get me started on the strategy of "faster broadband for those who already have it" as opposed to "some broadband for those who don't")! iPad + iPhone 4S + 2degrees 3G data 4tw! These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

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Reply # 208924 24-Apr-2009 07:45
Your can't just get somebody to install fibre to your house - it's not like extending a phoneline. Have you considered Vodafone 3G? 6GB for $89.95 is a lot cheaper than satellite and a lot faster. *Need help configuring your Linksys ATA or IP Phones for New Zealand? Check my blog post

cyril7

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Reply # 208925 24-Apr-2009 07:55
Hi, the chances of a fibre connection to your single home is extreamely remote, Telecom have fibre running up SH1, but its carrying traffic in a manner not suited for domestic consuption. If you check here you will see both Compass communication and Kordia Extend wireless cover parts of your area, even if you had to install a remote site on a suitable hill and use 802.11a or b/g to haul it home. Cyril

SaltyNZ

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Reply # 208926 24-Apr-2009 07:55
Hi, yes, I'm aware of that. I've been working as an engineer for one telecommunications company or another for about a decade now. :) Currently, NZ Communications. But since fibre to the home is one of the things specifically mentioned under the broadband plan I wondered if anyone here had already had some info. And no, there's no Vodafone 3G. In fact there's a Vodafone 2G BTS about 2km away on the next hill so I will have excellent narrowband cellular coverage from our competitor. From memory there are no microwave dishes on it so it must be fed from fibre. Alas though 3G stops just north of Albany. iPad + iPhone 4S + 2degrees 3G data 4tw! These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

SaltyNZ

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Reply # 208928 24-Apr-2009 07:57
Ah, there's the map I was looking for! Thanks! iPad + iPhone 4S + 2degrees 3G data 4tw! These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

SaltyNZ

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Reply # 208930 24-Apr-2009 08:05
Hmm, dicey. Specifically, we're here: http://www.broadbandmap.govt.nz/map/index?lat=-36.473774&lng=174.651347 iPad + iPhone 4S + 2degrees 3G data 4tw! These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

cyril7

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Reply # 208931 24-Apr-2009 08:07
At this point I dont think telecom is not organised to drop a pons port to your home. Probably the only thing they could easily supply you at a suitable POP on SH1 is a metrolan MPLS port which is part of their new network to eventually replace ATM(i presume), but something tells me even if they did have one available and you could organise a drop down the road to pick it up you would not want to pay for it, without pawning your children. Cheers Cyril

sbiddle

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Reply # 208934 24-Apr-2009 08:23
SaltyNZ: Hi, yes, I'm aware of that. I've been working as an engineer for one telecommunications company or another for about a decade now. :) Currently, NZ Communications. But since fibre to the home is one of the things specifically mentioned under the broadband plan I wondered if anyone here had already had some info. And no, there's no Vodafone 3G. In fact there's a Vodafone 2G BTS about 2km away on the next hill so I will have excellent narrowband cellular coverage from our competitor. From memory there are no microwave dishes on it so it must be fed from fibre. Alas though 3G stops just north of Albany. There aren't many sites around there now especially up that way that aren't 3G - remember you need a 900 3G device not a 2100. *Need help configuring your Linksys ATA or IP Phones for New Zealand? Check my blog post

SaltyNZ

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Reply # 208935 24-Apr-2009 08:35
There aren't many sites around there now especially up that way that aren't 3G - remember you need a 900 3G device not a 2100. Could be. I have an N95 and I don't recall seeing a 3G signal there, although to be fair I wasn't specifically looking for one (we were talking to a builder, not checking out broadband :). UMTS 900 would make a lot more sense than 2100 up there, as the 900MHz signal goes a lot further. iPad + iPhone 4S + 2degrees 3G data 4tw! These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

matt45

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Reply # 209018 24-Apr-2009 13:12
yea on the off chance that you could get fiber (which i doubt), i would think you would be looking at 10k+ to get it connected. I base this on a quote from city link to get fiber connection that was only about 20 meters away across the road, (including, permits, roadworks, etc)

SaltyNZ

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Reply # 209025 24-Apr-2009 13:43
matt45: yea on the off chance that you could get fiber (which i doubt), i would think you would be looking at 10k+ to get it connected. I base this on a quote from city link to get fiber connection that was only about 20 meters away across the road, (including, permits, roadworks, etc) Was that the Telecom service or the Vector service? iPad + iPhone 4S + 2degrees 3G data 4tw! These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

matt45

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Reply # 209030 24-Apr-2009 13:58
i beleive it was a citylink service as there logo was stamped on the pit/manhole cover. (this was not in the wops however it was in the middle of the city)

johnr

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Reply # 209076 24-Apr-2009 19:26
SaltyNZ:And no, there's no Vodafone 3G. In fact there's a Vodafone 2G BTS about 2km away on the next hill so I will have excellent narrowband cellular coverage from our competitor. From memory there are no microwave dishes on it so it must be fed from fibre. Alas though 3G stops just north of Albany. That site in Puhoi is 3G HSDPA 900mhz There is lots of 3G coverage from Auckland to Kaitia John Systems Engineer Vodafone NZ http://forum.vodafone.co.nz

coffeebaron

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Reply # 209081 24-Apr-2009 19:43
SaltyNZ: There aren't many sites around there now especially up that way that aren't 3G - remember you need a 900 3G device not a 2100. Could be. I have an N95 and I don't recall seeing a 3G signal there, although to be fair I wasn't specifically looking for one (we were talking to a builder, not checking out broadband :). UMTS 900 would make a lot more sense than 2100 up there, as the 900MHz signal goes a lot further. Hi Salty, I have a few solutions for 3G broadband (even if coverage is poor). Happy to come and evaluate your property. Send me a PM if interested. Cheers Fraser Chorus has spent $1.4 billion on making their ADSL broadband network faster. Why not spend a couple of hundred to make sure you are getting the most out of your connection? Geekzone special price: $150* for master splitter install, normally $200+ through your ISP. Auckland and Waikato areas. *Travel charges may apply. Additional costs may apply for complex installs. I install - Naked DSL, DSL Master Splitters, VoIP, RBI Rural Broadband. Also a dealer for WorldxChange. Need help in Auckland or Waikato? Click my email button, or email me direct: [my user name] at geekzonemail dot com

ziph

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Reply # 209097 24-Apr-2009 21:24
Also isn't VF promising 97% 3g coverage by may 31st anyway?

sbiddle

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Reply # 209105 24-Apr-2009 21:57
ziph: Also isn't VF promising 97% 3g coverage by may 31st anyway? Yes. Vodafone 3G coverage will mirror or better existing GSM coverage by the end of May. *Need help configuring your Linksys ATA or IP Phones for New Zealand? Check my blog post

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