Fibre optic double-up & just plain crazy
Ashburton business people are miffed as to why Chorus is installing fibre-optic cable in the central business district after Electricity Ashburton has already done it.
They say it is a waste of taxpayers' money, a doubling up of resources and just plain crazy.
Electricity Ashburton agrees, but Chorus is throwing the flak right back, saying the lines company was the one that built over Chorus's network to start with.
Peter Gluyas at Gluyas Ford said Electricity Ashburton had dug up one side of Kermode Street about six months ago to install its orange-piped fibre, then this week along comes Chorus to dig up the other side to install its green-tubed fibre.
"I can't believe they are silly enough to put it in twice," he said.
The Chorus work was subsidised by Crown Fibre Holdings, so was a complete waste of taxpayers' money.
Robert Newlands at Newlands on Kermode Street agreed.
"It's very unfortunate that Telecom can't see sense and utilise Electricity Ashburton's system," Mr Newlands said.
"I think it's crazy to go to the extent of ripping up the roads once again, it's competition gone mad really."
His business was using the Electricity Ashburton network and receiving ultra-fast broadband as a result.
Electricity Ashburton general manager Gordon Guthrie said Electricity Ashburton had spent up to $1 million on installing fibre-optic cable in the CBD.
About 200 businesses were connected and this was growing daily.
Chorus had been the successful bidder for the Government-funded ultra-fast broadband nationwide roll-out, not regional lines companies.
But Electricity Ashburton (EA) had been open to discussions and encouraging of Chorus using the same network.
He could not understand why Ashburton was one of the first towns in Chorus's nationwide roll-out, when the telecommunications company could make better use of taxpayers' money by installing it in a town which did not already have it.
EA was the distributor of the network it had installed, which was a "business in its own right".
Customers had their own internet service providers (ISPs) which leased the cable from EA.
ISPs would have a choice as to which company they leased the cable from – EA or Chorus.
Mr Guthrie claimed EA's cable was "slightly faster specification wise", was competitively priced and would remain so."We think it's better," he said.
Not surprisingly, Chorus disagrees.
External media manager Robin Kelly said Chorus was meeting the Government's UFB commitment with speeds, open access and price.
"We are the Crown's partner for building the network in Ashburton."
Chorus already had 40 kilometres of fibre thoughout the town centre, built over the past 10 years.
Because fibre had evolved, some of the basic architecture had to be changed and the network extended out throughout central Ashburton.
"Chorus has been building and maintaining its existing 40 kilometre fibre optic network in Ashburton for a number of years, well in advance of the deployment of fibre by Electricity Ashburton, which has overbuilt Chorus' fibre infrastructure," Mr Kelly said.
"While Chorus is committed to minimising overbuild, it will deliver UFB to areas where other networks do not meet UFB commitments in terms of speed, open access and price."