Local Linkup - Low-cost digital equity fibre broadband

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Prodigi

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#3398042 29-Jul-2025 13:47

freitasm:

If you want to spread more of this, please Like and Share my LinkedIn post here.

Thanks for the mention!

As I understand it Chorus (and all the LFCs) are regulated to provide the same services to all RSPs, so any RSP can sign up for the digital equity initiate if they want to - and the more the merrier!

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danfaulknor

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#3398043 29-Jul-2025 13:49

nztim:

@saf @danfaulknor can you do a do an ONT based voiceline under this scheme, I have a senior Neighbour where this could be quite attractive

It's not mentioned in the docs I have about the scheme, and we're not signed up for ONT Voice anyway (it's a giant pain with TR-069 being required to configure the SIP settings on the ONT). Not sure about Vetta :)

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Scott3

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#3398048 29-Jul-2025 14:24

OldGeek:

Vetta/Chorus are to be congratulated for your initiative but based on my experience perhaps some fine tuning is needed for eligibility.

I am eligible, but when I go to sign up, an eligibility condition of 5 or more adults in the house pops up that I had not seen earlier. I have 4 so don’t qualify. I am also due to return to Quic on Monday August 4. I am currently with Voyager.
Having a CSC does not mean you are poor. I qualify for a CSC because my taxable (retired) income is low. The CSC is a measure of low-level of taxable income but you still qualify if you are asset-rich. My taxable income is low enough to qualify for a CSC. I live in a house worth about 1.4 mill and live on drawing down invested retirement capital as well as NZ Super.

I am assuming Vetta do not want to cannibalise their existing customer bas (including Quic), and that the target market is low income, living at an address served by Chorus Fibre and not connected to 'the internet'.

On point 1, that is frustrating. Wonder if the are restricting the 500/100 plan to large households only (but that is at odds with the main list which just has recommended). Hopefully 5+ adults in a house is not a requirement...

2, Standing up their own ways of accessing financial means would be a huge chore, both for the ISP's an the prospective customers. I support just leaning on the crude easy metrics like CSC status, and if a few wealthy people end up on this plan, so be it. Also there are some people that are wealthy through home ownership, but are in digital excluded and live a poverty lifestyle. If you don't want to sell or borrow against your home, the fact over the decades that it has inflated in value to something comical, doesn't pay the bills (if anything you get lumped with a massive rates bill).

I get that selling / borrowing against is always an option, but this is about lifting people out of digital exclusion, and I wouldn't want to ring fence if from somebody who has low income and a nostalgic connection with the house they own.

-----------------

Will be interesting to see the uptake of this. It's such a great deal...

NightStalker

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#3398049 29-Jul-2025 14:24

These might be two different offerings but can the duration and pricing please be clarified.

On Vettas website in the additional terms it has "There is no guarantee of continuation at this price point following the end of the trial period, being 30 September 2025...."

The prodigi link (whānaulink.nz) from @danfaulknor has "Signups are open until 30 September 2025" ........."Pricing is locked in until 31 December 2025 for active customers"

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#3398051 29-Jul-2025 14:30

Scott3:

OldGeek:

Vetta/Chorus are to be congratulated for your initiative but based on my experience perhaps some fine tuning is needed for eligibility.

I am eligible, but when I go to sign up, an eligibility condition of 5 or more adults in the house pops up that I had not seen earlier. I have 4 so don’t qualify. I am also due to return to Quic on Monday August 4. I am currently with Voyager.

On point 1, that is frustrating. Wonder if the are restricting the 500/100 plan to large households only (but that is at odds with the main list which just has recommended). Hopefully 5+ adults in a house is not a requirement...

A home with 4 or less people is permitted to sign up to 500/100 if they wish but note that having a CSC is a co-requirement, not the only requirement. You need to meet the address requirement or school requirement as well.

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danfaulknor

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#3398052 29-Jul-2025 14:31

NightStalker:

These might be two different offerings but can the duration and pricing please be clarified.

On Vettas website in the additional terms it has "There is no guarantee of continuation at this price point following the end of the trial period, being 30 September 2025...."

The prodigi link (whānaulink.nz) from @danfaulknor has "Signups are open until 30 September 2025" ........."Pricing is locked in until 31 December 2025 for active customers"

They are the same offering, but as it's a trial, Chorus are making regular changes to the offering as it's presented to RSPs. The latest information I have is that signups will stop at the end of September and if Chorus decides not to go ahead with the service permanently, those already on it will keep the pricing until the end of December.

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Scott3

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#3398054 29-Jul-2025 14:45

danfaulknor:

A home with 4 or less people is permitted to sign up to 500/100 if they wish but note that having a CSC is a co-requirement, not the only requirement. You need to meet the address requirement or school requirement as well.

Your offering (Whānau Link) has it as a co-requirement.

Local Linkup does not have this stipulation:

Could you advise if it is Chorus that sets the requirements (and all ISP's should have the same), or if each ISP sets their own?

danfaulknor

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#3398055 29-Jul-2025 14:48

Scott3:

Could you advise if it is Chorus that sets the reequipments (and all ISP's should have the same), or if each ISP sets their own?

Chorus sets the requirements, and the RSPs are required to report back to confirm the connections meet the requirements. As I mentioned above, Chorus are iterating on the requirements, so it very well may have changed between when Vetta was getting set up and us.

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saf

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#3398109 29-Jul-2025 20:39

Thanks for all the feedback and sharing, folks! It's fantastic seeing this scheme fitting the bill for those in need.

Some comments on some of the commentary here

@Asteros: Absolutely! End goal is this scheme will be available across all LFCs. Props to some of the other non-Chorus LFCs who do currently have something similar, but not the same. The LFCs are currently communicating and working together to crack a methodology and develop a consistent offering across all LFCs in the future, so watch this space!
@wellygary: You're absolutely right in regards to this page being on our overarching website. This was a conscious decision to both get this to market as quickly as possible, as well as keep our costs relatively low during the proof-of-concept stage. Once everything is more solidified into the future, the idea will be to develop a segregated micro-site dedicated to Local Linkup. We are in touch with many government and community organisations both regionally and nationally and gaining great traction there, however I'm sure there will be some users circulating these forums which have contacts we can't get from the outside. Also a great train of thought re part of your bill going to Chorus helps initiatives like these, which realises the great UFB asset we have in New Zealand for more of our communities.
@Scott3: Definitely shouldn't be throwing an error on a non-Chorus address - as @SimplePotato as said, we'll look into this and if you can message him with an example would be grand. Other LFCs will be likely coming in the future as mentioned above. On the ONT requirement, this is quite important at this stage so that we're getting the service out there as quickly as possible to those in need, and reducing capital costs from truck rolls from the LFCs perspective, that being said this could change in future, and your comment about a one-off fee for the install to help subsidise the capital side is quite a thought provoker - I've discussed this briefly with Chorus today, so consider that one passed on and in the mix!
@OldGeek: There isn't a requirement for a certain number of household members, just recommendations on what could be the plan of choice dependent on the number of internet users in the home, however our messaging can probably be clearer on this. The choice to use CSC (as well as other metrics) as methodologies to qualify a household was made so that we're not means-testing ourselves, and using existing services who are already doing this, yes this does mean that there will be some who are eligible that may not be "in desperate need" so to speak, however on the flip side we don't believe, nor do we want to be means-testing ourselves and being the sole decider of who can and can't gain service.
@danfaulknor: Yay, stoked to hear you're also on board and sharing the kaupapa to those in need! Dead right, it's solely on the RSP as to whether or not they wish to collaborate with Chorus and take part, and I hope more will!
@nztim: I can't speak for the folks at Prodigi, however we are not providing ONT voice under this scheme, as we do not provide any addons or upsells. A customer could theoretically signup to our, or another providers VoIP service over top as a separate service, however that would be delivered through an ATA or SIP device.
@NightStalker: Yes, correct - whichever way it's displayed, this is a proof-of-concept service through Chorus and delivered by RSPs until end of September. Theoretically the scheme could be cut for new signups and existing customers cut off at the end of the year, however I believe, and some of the discussions I've had, that's highly unlikely to happen. The more engagement (like this!) which we can get from the community both in feedback and in signups, the better the business case can be to be put forward to LFCs and ensure this stays in the market for years to come.
Also thanks @Scott3 and @danfaulknor, I've had some of how the bulleted lists there were displayed tweaked and will get that properly tidied by our marketing wizard who may have had a fat finger that day! ;-)

Again, thanks all - keen to hear as much feedback as possible. My DMs are open! :-)

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OldGeek

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#3398111 29-Jul-2025 21:04

@saf many thanks for your most comprehensive response. I acknowledge the difficulty in using an existing metric to determine those 'most in need'. If this progresses beyond a trial then limiting eligibility would be better targeted. I would suggest benefit entitlement (excluding NZ Super) be considered but I acknowledge Chorus (and LFCs) to be the arbiter.

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Scott3

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#3398114 29-Jul-2025 21:22

@Saf, error turned out to driven by the address finder not properly handling abbreviations st / dr etc. Typing out Street or Drive sorted it.

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Some interesting comments by a cheapies user that is already signed up:

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#3398122 29-Jul-2025 22:00

It's truly inspiring to see Vetta Online and Chorus addressing the significant issue of digital exclusion in Aotearoa head-on with the Local Linkup scheme. By offering affordable, high-speed fiber broadband plans, including a modern WiFi 6 router and no contract, to eligible communities, they're making a tangible difference in bridging the digital divide and ensuring more New Zealanders can access essential online resources and opportunities.

This initiative not only highlights a commitment to social equity but also empowers individuals and families who have been historically underserved, fostering greater inclusion and connectivity across the nation.

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#3398146 30-Jul-2025 07:47

I know it's a nitpick but it immediately flags the advertising as unreviewed: "4 or less" rather than "4 or fewer"

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BuckyDoneGun

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#3398683 31-Jul-2025 12:10

When using the CSC option, it asked for your "CSC Number" then insists it be 9 digits. A CSC card has two numbers, one is the CSC Card Number, mines 11 digits, the other is your WINZ Client Number, which is the 9 digit one. Prob pay to clarify that.

I have signed up though, will be keen to see how it goes!

KiwiSurfer

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#3398747 31-Jul-2025 15:33

If hepful this is what a CSC looks like:

Agree claraifying what number is needed would be useful.

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