Chorus planning to abandon all copper in 10 years

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#3078510 22-May-2023 11:17

I can get behind subsidization on the CO equipment like the cabinet/OLT, etc. and some co-pay on the civils (to be recovered in subsequent installs per user), but full subsidy is a bit extreme.

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#3078615 22-May-2023 13:38

I think the benefits of having fibre available to the whole population are huge. When you think about remote working possibilities and the contribution of that to regional economies and community vitality, business connectivity etc. Should be done on the same terms as urban fibre IMO. Yeah its cross subsidises. So is lots of stuff.

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#3078621 22-May-2023 13:53

Klathman:

I do wonder why Chrous is the only one talking about this though. I know that the Waikato lines companies sold the fibre business but I really expected that they would be keen to expand. Radio silence since the initial UFB1 build.

I know UFF (Tuatahi) are quietly getting along with doing this themselves. They have already bult out their network further into rural areas and continue to do so.

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#3078622 22-May-2023 13:54

But the benefits of having fibre available at these rural locations don't heavily outweigh the benefits of having solid fixed wireless access or FTTN, it's a low enough density area that a good setup is still cheaper than the civils and implementation of FTTH. I'd rather the money be poured into better, more standardized (so can be wholesaled) WISP setups.

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#3078639 22-May-2023 15:02

Topographically, a lot of the rural areas that need to be tidied up are not WISP capable though

it'll get some off the list but not a great deal

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#3078690 22-May-2023 15:22

I'd argue it's cheaper to establish PtP or PtMP links in those areas than it is to trench in fibre in most cases. We did just that with country sets, way back when. No reason we couldn't do something similar with mini-PoPs feeding VDSL over existing cable to multiple customers hanging off the end of a DMR link. Or even DMR backhaul with local fibre for small communities that are otherwise wildly expensive to service.

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#3078696 22-May-2023 15:49

toejam316:

But the benefits of having fibre available at these rural locations don't heavily outweigh the benefits of having solid fixed wireless access or FTTN, it's a low enough density area that a good setup is still cheaper than the civils and implementation of FTTH. I'd rather the money be poured into better, more standardized (so can be wholesaled) WISP setups.

I'm no expert in this tech, but for the few people I know on rural wireless, these setups seem quite finicky. Vegetation grows or new buildings are erected and signal is attenuated. Or the directional antenna shifts in a storm ...

I've shifted my father to Starlink and it's proven much more robust than rural wireless.

Mike

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#3078895 23-May-2023 08:38

BarTender:
nztim:

Give them the $500 Million get fibre everywhere.

I agree however a condition is that no farmer can ever say again they aren’t being heavily subsidised by taxpayers for UFB. So they are not allowed to bleat again about how they do everything for our society and “townies” have no idea. That constant attitude of entitlement I find very frustrating.

Don't think the government will do it, the cost per premise passed will be way too high. Which is sad as we all pay the same equal marginal tax rate.

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#3078896 23-May-2023 08:52

coffeebaron:

I know UFF (Tuatahi) are quietly getting along with doing this themselves. They have already bult out their network further into rural areas and continue to do so.

Yes! it extends all the way to Hamilton Airport and out towards Matangi now

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evilengineer

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#3079563 25-May-2023 10:41

nztim:

Don't think the government will do it, the cost per premise passed will be way too high. Which is sad as we all pay the same equal marginal tax rate.

Why?

Corus seem to think its financially viable and hopefully the other fibre companies would take a similar view for their patches.

If the original UFB model is followed the government will get the principal back eventually anyway, the only cost would theoretically be interest payments on $500M of government bonds for a few years.

Also, wasn't the original UFB programme based on an anticipated 50-60% take up rate?

Can't remember the exact figure, but the economics of a likely 90-95% fibre take up rate seem a bit different and that doesn't include the on-going savings from not having to maintain and run a residual copper network out in the wop wops.

And what about the all intangible digital inclusion benefits for isolated rural communities plus potential productivity benefits for rural businesses, farmers and the government in delivering services remotely etc.?

Seems like a total no-brainer to me.

Get it done!

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#3079583 25-May-2023 12:19

evilengineer:

Seems like a total no-brainer to me.

Get it done!

Right, but who's going to pay for it?

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#3079584 25-May-2023 12:23

The post office, just like last time!

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#3079601 25-May-2023 13:45

quickymart:

evilengineer:

Seems like a total no-brainer to me.

Get it done!

Right, but who's going to pay for it?

Same people as with previous UFB stages, Chorus and the other fibre companies who paid their $1.5Bn in loan(s) back to the government.

Meanwhile the country gets to see a world class network completed that's going to last the next 90-100 years if looked after properly.

Might as well as give future generations something useful to make up for cooking the planet.

quickymart

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#3079603 25-May-2023 13:51

I don't believe an extension of the current network is going to happen without government involvement, and I haven't heard anything from the government saying they're interested in doing this (yet).

MikeAqua

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#3079604 25-May-2023 13:56

quickymart:

Right, but who's going to pay for it?

If I had to pay double the urban rate for UFB on our rural property, for five years ... I'd take that deal. I'd rather pay Chorus than Starlink and Chorus UFB is better than satellite.

Mike

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