Is chorus struggling with repairing UFB faults at present?

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Benoire

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#306538 1-Aug-2023 17:44

Our internet dropped out earlier today at 10.45am and it finally showed up on the Chorus outages map, this is the second fault within a week affecting the Titirangi area and I'm noticing that the restoration time is now 24 hours. Looking at the map there are parts of ellerslie that have already had their outage for 24 hours and now showing as 'N/A - check later'.

I'm not asking about why its 24 hours, its a residential connection on a best endevours approach (just a shame I do not have a terrestrial connection any more!), but I'm curious as to whether Chorus has delays in the system as I've not seen these repair delays before and I'm interested in the logisitcs etc. that are in the background.

danfaulknor

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Prodigi

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#3110791 1-Aug-2023 18:56

Looks like the 24 hours is just a default. On my (RSP) end it's showing no ETA.

Chorus tech(s) were on site this afternoon but the only update this evening is "services still impacted"

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Benoire

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#3110794 1-Aug-2023 19:03

Interesting thanks, wasn't expecting anyone to actually look at the system was more curious how the system is standing up as a result of flooding, ongoing covid infections, pay etc.

nztim

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TEAMnetwork

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#3110806 1-Aug-2023 20:20

On Bitstream 2 - The standard restore time is "By 7PM the following business day"

You can always buy a Bitstream 2a/3 which comes with a faster SLA, but you will be paying circa $300 for your connection.

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

danfaulknor

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#3110807 1-Aug-2023 20:23

nztim:

On Bitstream 2 - The standard restore time is "By 7PM the following business day"

You can always buy a Bitstream 2a/3 which comes with a faster SLA, but you will be paying circa $300 for your connection.

BS2 SME connections are 7pm same business day if reported by midday, otherwise midday next business day and they're not that much more than residential plans (ours are 15% more)

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Benoire

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#3110808 1-Aug-2023 20:24

nztim:
On Bitstream 2 - The standard restore time is "By 7PM the following business day"

You can always buy a Bitstream 2a/3 which comes with a faster SLA, but you will be paying circa $300 for your connection.

Would that actually do anything in this situation as its multiple properties across the Titirangi area, the fault isn't just isolated to me otherwise I wouldn't have posted as I'd have a better clue.. This is an area wide issue.

nztim

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#3110822 1-Aug-2023 21:45

danfaulknor:

BS2 SME connections are 7pm same business day if reported by midday, otherwise midday next business day and they're not that much more than residential plans (ours are 15% more)

Even 15% more is not something the home user is prepared to pay.

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nztim

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#3110826 1-Aug-2023 21:52

Benoire:
nztim:

On Bitstream 2 - The standard restore time is "By 7PM the following business day"

You can always buy a Bitstream 2a/3 which comes with a faster SLA, but you will be paying circa $300 for your connection.

Would that actually do anything in this situation as its multiple properties across the Titirangi area, the fault isn't just isolated to me otherwise I wouldn't have posted as I'd have a better clue.. This is an area wide issue.

If there was a customer on Bitstream 3 that logged a fault they would fix it within the 8-hour SLA, if that fix happened to fix Bitstream 2 customers at the same time, they are on a win.

There is obviously Force majeure clause in those SLAs (for example the weather events earlier this year)

There are also some remote exchanges that cannot be accessed easily - For example the Eureka Exchange outside of Hamilton is in a farmer's paddock, and stock may need to be moved for safe site access.

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

Wheelbarrow01

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Chorus

#3110847 1-Aug-2023 23:02

Our install and fault restoration leadtimes are pretty much all within band across the country, so there's no appreciable delay due to technician resource anywhere as far as I know.

Our internal fault reports don't share any more detail over and above what has already been shared above, so I can't add any meaningful information.

If the fault has been traced back to being under or near a major road or highway (or rail track), it can take some time to get the necessary permits and traffic management put in place before any fix can be attempted - I know this was a factor in the major Kumeu fibre cut fault from a couple of weeks ago, which was further aggravated by the fact that a manhole cover they needed to access was jammed shut and required some creative thinking to get into.

Personally I would have gone straight to phase 5:

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer Chorus NZ Ltd

raytaylor

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#3111091 2-Aug-2023 15:25

There is exemptions for things like traffic permits etc for utilities doing fault repairs, but with reference to OPs issue, if its affecting a large area, it will be one of two things.

Cable cut
Line card or optic in the exchange

A cable cut can take a significant amount of time to repair. If its older fiber it requires a large hole to be dug, a splice enclosure installed and a few hours joining the fibers together. If its inside a duct it can be slightly quicker because they can bring some extra fiber from the nearest slack storage pit.

If its direct buried, they need to dig two holes either side of the damage and splice in a new piece of fiber cable between them. Thats effectively two joints.

If its newer urban blown fiber then it will still take some time as they need to dig down, mend the duct, and usually there are a few in a bundle, then blow out the old fiber, blow in the new and resplice at each end. If I had to splice a 128 count fiber cable to another one, thats a whole day for me.

Either way, high count fiber = long time for splicers to repair.

If its an optic like an SFP module on an OLT line card, then its quite a simple fix and easily done in 24 hours.

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Benoire

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#3111122 2-Aug-2023 17:15

Thanks all, this was enlightening! As I said at the beginning I didn't start this to whinge about the issue (although my kids certainly did!) I was more curious about logistics and support etc... but I also learnt something new about the SLAs and how someone with a better SLA can give benefit to an entire area!

Anywho internet is backup now and kids are quiet :-P

raytaylor

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#3111126 2-Aug-2023 18:00

I dont think the better SLA really helps much unless its a local fault to your own premesis - like an ONT failing or cable damage that is easily repaired.

If its affecting multiple people, chorus will be working on it as fast as possible anyway, and if it requires some civil works like diggers or anything involving road traffic management then they cant really do much to speed up the repair. It will just happen when it happens since those things are covered under a force majeure clause and typically outside the SLA.

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myfullflavour

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#3111210 2-Aug-2023 20:06

In practice, the SLAs don't mean anything apart from some meager credits when Chorus breaches them.

We've had faults with business connections with the same-day SLA and if there is already a bunch of work in the queue, it joins the back of the queue.

If they're busy, there is no ability to schedule the fault for the same day and nothing can be done when you call the NOC to progress the escalation process.