Ultra fast broadband network incompatible with Aussie rollout

Photo / Richard Robinson

This week the Herald revealed details and wholesale pricing for the Government's ultra-fast broadband network.

Up until now, most of the information for the UFB network had been kept secret by the Government's agency in charge of the project, Crown Fibre Holdings (CFH).

In response to questions about the pricing a CFH spokesman, who did not wish to be named, said the pricing and service details have been "under commercial negotiation in a tender process" and the New Zealand UFB was not comparable with the next-generation rollouts in Australia and Singapore.

In those countries, details of the new networks were published ahead of deployment, for discussion.

Asked why the UFB will launch with a comparatively low-speed 30Mbps downstream and 10Mbps upstream speed plan when the Minister, Steven Joyce, promised the minimum service would be 100/50Mbps, the spokesman said the latter product would be available to all UFB customers.

According to the spokesman, the 30/10Mbps plan is an entry level wholesale product that provides higher bandwidth speeds than current broadband products.

It also provided higher guaranteed minimum bandwidth, 2.5Mbps or 10Mbps depending on the plan, than today's broadband.

The bandwidth guarantee comes into play when the broadband network gets congested with many users at the same time.

Today's copper-based broadband only guarantees 32 to 45kbps, or less than dial-up speed, during busy times.

Up to 24 users will share each UFB residential fibre-optic network segment, according to CFH documents.

Asked why the UFB residential plans are asymmetric - with faster download than upload speed - the spokesman said this was due to the technology used.

The spokesman says the UFB mass-market service will use "Gigabit Passive Optical Networking" or GPON, which provides a total bandwidth of 2.488Gbps downstream and 1.244Gbps upstream.

Even so, the spokesman said internet providers can buy additional capacity on the upstream link, and construct a symmetrical retail service on GPON.

The CFH price book limits the additional upstream capacity to 50Mbps so the fastest symmetrical service would be 50/50Mbps.

For those who need faster service, the spokesman said the enterprise market UFB offerings using point to point ethernet connections were symmetric and ran at up to 10Gbps.

The spokesman also said that specifications for the UFB have been designed in conjunction with the industry organisation the Telecommunications Carriers Forum and its members.

They were designed to offer flexibility and choice. This was why the UFB service options include features such as wireless connections for inside people's premises and standard telephone ports, according to the spokesman.

Taxpayers are contributing $1.5 billion to the UFB project, which is expected to cost $3 to $5 billion to complete over the next six years.

WHAT UFB WILL COST YOU

Residential service plans

30/10Mbps 2.5Mbps CIR
* Wholesale price per month ex GST: $35.00
* Est. retail price per month incl GST: $47.50

30/10Mbps 10Mbps CIR with phone line and IPTV
* Wholesale price per month ex GST: $38.75
* Est. retail price per month incl GST: $52.60

100/50Mbps 2.5Mbps CIR and phone line
* Wholesale price per month ex GST: $55.00
* Est. retail price per month incl GST: $74.65

100/50Mbps 10Mbps CIR with phone line and IPTV
* Wholesale price per month ex GST: $58.75
* Est. retail price per month incl GST: $79.75