Chorus, the New Zealand national carrier, says it plans to begin a field trial of 10-Gbps broadband services over its open fiber broadband network. The trial will leverage XGS-PON systems from Nokia.
The network operator says it will begin connecting 10-Gbps customers in the middle of the next month. The trial initially will include 30 residences in Auckland and Wellington. Chorus indicated that small to medium enterprises (SMEs) will participate in the trial as well. Service providers 2degrees, Kordia, Stuff Fibre, and Trustpower will provide the services.
"Our 10-Gbps residential and SME trial will see New Zealanders accessing one of the fastest broadband services available on the planet," said Chorus Chief Customer Officer Ed Hyde. “It also reinforces the ability to easily upgrade the world-class fiber infrastructure we have been building as the latest technologies become available.
"In the last eight years New Zealand has seen a meteoric progression in broadband capability,” Hyde continued. “In 2011 the average broadband speed was just 10 Mbps or so. When Chorus’s fiber plans first launched in 2012 the top speed then available was 100 Mbps. We were then the first to make gigabit fiber broadband available in 2014 and today this is the fastest growing plan on our network with more than 44,000 customers.”
Nokia has supplied GPON gear for Chorus for several years, and the two have partnered in the past on trials of fiber broadband technology (see "Chorus to test Nokia’s wavelength service technology for Layer 1 fulfilment").
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher
Stephen Hardy has covered fiber optics for more than 15 years, and communications and technology for more than 30 years. He is responsible for establishing and executing Lightwave's editorial strategy across its digital magazine, website, newsletters, research and other information products. He has won multiple awards for his writing.
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