Cost of ultra-fast broadband revealed

Wanganui households are likely to get high speed internet broadband at prices as low as $79 a month including GST or lower.
That's what customers are paying in Whangarei for a home plan from provider Xf Net. It includes a phone line, rates for toll and cellphone calls, an email address and a 10G datacap. Connection is free.
Whangarei is the first city in New Zealand to get broadband under the Government's $1.5billion ultra-fast broadband investment initiative. Wanganui, Tauranga and Hamilton should be the next cabs off the rank.
"Wanganui has done an outstanding job getting your town on the list," UltraFast Fibre commercial manager Jack Ninnes said.
Wanganui District Council, and eight interested people, listened to a presentation from him yesterday. His company is in charge of building and maintaining the network and is a subsidiary of Waikato lines company WEL Networks.
Mr Ninnes said the company (UFL) was looking for a central office in Wanganui and hoped to decide on a main contractor in the next week or so.
It was also working on a website to inform people, which should be going live soon.
The data would come to households through tiny glass tubes, which will be run alongside electric wires, either on power poles or underground.
The rollout begins sometime between July and September, and will take until 2015.
Top priority for connection will be schools, health providers and businesses.
Entry level would provide a download speed of 30Mbps and upload speed of 10Mbps, which is fast enough to upload a 30MB folder of photographs in 24 seconds.
At a higher level, a download speed of 100Mbps and upload speed of 50Mbps will be available to households and businesses, or fast enough to download a movie in less than eight and a half minutes.
The premium business rate would be even faster.
Mr Ninnes is hoping the council will help by letting people know what is available and what opportunities it offers.
"We want the residential uptake to be as high as it possibly can be.
"The next phase is really down to neighbourhoods to understand what the opportunities are so when it comes to their street they are keen to connect up."
Wanganui District Council has a digital leaders' forum with health, education and business people ready for the task, senior policy advisor Marianne Archibald said.