From Chorus:

 

Today, Chorus has announced that the first connection to its eight gigabits per second (8Gbps) fibre broadband service is live. The blisteringly fast service is accessible to about 150,000 residential and business customers in Auckland and Wellington.

 

Chorus' 8Gbps symmetric broadband service is part of the Hyperfibre family of next-generation optical network technology. Hyperfibre uses the same open access fibre-optic cables with enhanced electronics in the home and at the exchange.

 

The 8Gbps downstream and upstream service is a natural evolution for those looking for even faster broadband at twice the fastest fibre speed available today.

 

Chorus Chief Customer Officer, Ed Hyde, said: "Fibre is energy-efficient, fast and offers a stable broadband connection.

 

"It is rapidly becoming essential with the ever-increasing uptake of ultra-high-definition video, cloud storage, video uploads, advanced gaming and working from home. As a result, broadband speed and sufficient capacity are now more critical than ever.

 

"Expanding the Hyperfibre family with an 8Gbps choice guarantees New Zealand's place in the most technologically advanced countries in the world."

 

The first retail internet service provider to offer the 8Gbps service is Orcon. Taryn Hamilton, Consumer and Business Chief Executive of Orcon's parent company, Vocus, said: "If there’s one thing we have learned over the years, it’s that people will always find ways to make the most of the latest technology.

 

“Hyperfibre plans offer speeds that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, but we have innovative and enthusiastic Kiwis getting onboard with 2Gbps, 4Gbps and now 8Gbps speeds. On a personal level, I love seeing New Zealand on the bleeding edge of broadband technology, it bodes well for our future as an exporter of tech. That and it’s just damn cool.”

 

Chorus is rolling out its Hyperfibre 8Gbps service in the areas where there has been substantial demand for high-speed broadband. With Hyperfibre connections now numbering in the hundreds, 86 per cent of connections are for consumers. Sixty-five per cent of all customers opted for the 4Gbps symmetric service.

 

Hyperfibre 8Gbps is available in 10 central exchange areas across Auckland and Wellington. In Auckland, Mount Albert, Mt Eden, Ponsonby, Mayoral Drive, Remuera and Browns Bay. In Wellington, Khandallah, Courtenay Place and Kelburn.