New Zealand wholesale fixed-line provider Chorus has offered to triple the speed of its most popular fiber plan at no extra cost to broadband retailers, as its ultra-fast broadband (UFB) network rollout continues to track ahead of schedule.
The company has announced it will work closely with ISPs over the next three months to upgrade around 600,000 homes and businesses currently on its wholesale 100Mbps fibre service. The change will triple the maximum download speed to 300Mbps and increase the uplink from 20Mbps to 100Mbps. Chorus notes the average speed on its network is now slightly above 200Mbps, meaning those on a fibre 100Mbps plan have a lower-than-average connection speed.
Commenting on the upgrade, Chorus CEO JB Rousselet said: ‘Our network traffic monitoring is showing that there are homes and businesses on fibre 100/20Mbps who regularly max out their broadband connection. While applications manage this congestion, it can result in buffering or lower resolution streams that can detract from the enjoyment of a great broadband experience. The performance upgrade we’re announcing today is a significant step forward, tripling the download speed of our most popular fibre plan for, potentially, 600,000 homes and businesses, with no price increase at wholesale. To deliver this upgrade before the end of the year we’ll need to work closely with our broadband retailers, their support is crucial and much appreciated.’