Broadband project gets Great Barrier up to speed

By PETER GRIFFIN

Telecom has spent $2 million on a communications upgrade for Great Barrier Island which will increase calling capacity and bring Jetstream to the island for the first time.

The upgrade is expected to improve the sometimes patchy telephone service, with the linking of the settlements at Claris and Tryphena to a new microwave radio system at Tokatea on the Coromandel Peninsula.

The project, which started in March last year, also involved laying 11.5km of fibre optic-cable and 10.5km of copper cable, and creates 120 new telephone connections.

Telecom's internet and online marketing manager, Chris Thompson, said the upgrade would probably mean better quality dial-up internet services. About 90 customers around Claris would also be able to subscribe to Jetstream.

The service would have the same quality Jetstream users in central Auckland enjoy.

"They have to be within range of the Claris exchange," said Thompson. "We're considering extending it to Tryphena if there is demand."

He expected businesses around Claris to take interest in Jetstream, as well as remote workers who wanted to avoid travelling to the city.

Previously, the only service available to the island other than dial-up internet was ihug's 128Kbps satellite service which still depends on a phone line for upstream data traffic.

Both Telecom and Vodafone have limited mobile phone coverage on the western side of the island.

Work was under way to build new telecoms services to the housing subdivision at Schooner Bay. That project is expected to be completed this month.