Two recent spikes in data demand were for upgrades to the interactive game Call of Duty plus a surge in Netflix demand. Image / Supplied
Two recent spikes in data demand were for upgrades to the interactive game Call of Duty plus a surge in Netflix demand. Image / Supplied
While you would expect the new school term in lockdown to increase broadband use, the biggest recent spikes in data demand across the Waikato came from a rainy Easter Monday and two upgrades of a popular interactive online gaming app.
Essential service provider UltraFast Fibre (UFF) which operates a 3500km fibre network across Hamilton, Tauranga, New Plymouth and Whanganui has begun connecting the households of school children living without internet connectivity by switching on the inactive fibre connections up to 1650 households in UFF's network.
UFF CEO John Hanna says although connection capacity is not an issue there have been some surprises in the demand peaks recorded recently.
Two recent spikes were for upgrades to the interactive game Call of Duty plus a surge in Netflix demand when there was wet weather across the region on Easter Monday.
"When kids went back to school, many were still online, but they'll likely be spending fewer hours during school time using high-definition streaming video apps like Netflix and interactive games, which consume a lot more data," Mr Hanna said.
UFF CEO John Hanna says the company has dedicated crews ready to go, all well-drilled in current safety and distancing protocols. Photo / Supplied
UFF is now connecting more school children and teachers. Working with industry as part of a Ministry of Education initiative, UFF has waived its normal wholesale fees for six months by switching on inactive fibre connections in some households, and has offered to do the same for teachers who need better connectivity.
"We are proud to support this government initiative to reconnect these households with a fantastic fibre broadband experience at no cost so that our kids can stay online and connected with teachers and their schoolmates," Mr Hanna said.
"It is a logical and immediate action we can take to help some families in need during this time," he said.
Meanwhile, as businesses look to how they will operate when the country moves to Alert Level 3, UFF is preparing for a surge of demand for new fibre connections.
At level 4, fibre wholesale companies are unable to do any installations requiring any digging to connect non-essential workers in an effort to eliminate unnecessary risk to other essential infrastructure providers such as water or electricity.
In response, UFF pioneered a "Next Day; in the Same Day" rapid connection technique allowing new customers to get fast and safe access to high-quality fibre within a day or two of receiving an order.
The technique involves deploying a very robust overland cable, and then returning to the premise later to complete the underground installation when alert levels and digging restrictions ease.
In tandem, UFF is preparing for business under Alert Levels 3 and 2, and to be able to seamlessly transition between the levels, anticipating that demand and reliance on digital connectivity will remain above what they were before the arrival of Covid-19 in New Zealand.
UFF is urging customers to talk to their providers and place their orders to convert to fibre now.
"We want to assure many of those who have experienced lockdown while not on fibre that it is our mission to get you connected as quickly as possible.
He says connection capacity is not an issue for UFF and the company is able to connect more than 150 new customers per day.
"We have plenty of dedicated crews ready to go, all well-drilled in current safety and distancing protocols, and with the appropriate safety gear and clothing available to them."
Data use across UFF's network during the lockdown peaked at around 35 per cent above average during that first week, and then settled into a state of around 22 per cent above what would be consumed before the alert level system was introduced.
In March, more than 30 per cent of new customers opted for a 1 Gigabit connection, the biggest UFF connection currently available to households.
UFF is owned by Waikato Networks Ltd – a partnership between neighbouring utility companies WEL Networks (85 per cent) and Waipā Networks (15 per cent).
