The upgrade allows for 800 billion bits per bandwidth or is enough to transport 25 high-definition movies in one second. Baird checks in using Viavi hardware. Photo / Dean Purcell.
The upgrade allows for 800 billion bits per bandwidth or is enough to transport 25 high-definition movies in one second. Baird checks in using Viavi hardware. Photo / Dean Purcell.
Chorus has taken quite a few jabs at Vodafone NZ and Spark's fixed-wireless services recently, as it tries to keep punters focussed on its fixed-line service.
But fixed wireless rolls on regardless. The retail telcos now have around 200,000 on the technology - which uses a mobile networkto deliver broadband to a premise, eliminating the need for a landline.
And things are about to get really interesting as Vodafone and Spark begin to offer faster, more capable 5G fixed wireless.
Spark has already rolled out 5G fixed wireless to several small South Island towns, and recently added Palmerston North for mobile and fixed-wireless 5G.
And while Vodafone (which launched mobile 5G in main centres last December) has yet to commercially launch 5G fixed wireless: it can claim bragging rights for servicing one of NZ's most demanding telecommunications users: the Police, to assist with their pandemic response.
NZ Police deputy chief executive Mark Evans says the Vodafone 5G fixed wireless was setup within minutes for the All-of-Government Covid Responce Centre. Photo / NZ Police
Five months after deployment, Vodafone 5G fixed wireless broadband is proving to be a fast and reliable option for the All of Government Covid-19 Response Centre, Police say.
Up to 120 people and a range of connected devices are using a Vodafone 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) solution, which was set up in a few minutes in Central Wellington when the government operations centre was set up on March 25.
Vodafone Infrastructure director Tony Baird says: "We've been trialling 5G fixed wireless broadband with some select customers, with a key one being the NZ Police at the All of Government Covid-19 Response Centre."
Baird adds, "Wireless 5G broadband is proving to be incredibly reliable and the feedback we're getting is really encouraging - the connection was set up in minutes, and is proving very reliable in terms of connections including great speeds.
"We're continuing to investigate a commercial 5G fixed wireless access solution for business and consumer customers, which we are confident will be well received - both as a long-term broadband option and also in instances like this when an office needs to be set up quickly and cabling in fibre adds complexity, cost and time."
NZ Police deputy chief executive Mark Evans says, "We needed to set up a Covid-19 operations centre as quickly as possible, and high-quality internet was obviously essential to us being able to communicate - particularly during lockdown when digital communication tools such as smartphones and video calling became essential.
"The Vodafone 5G fixed wireless broadband solution was set up in minutes, and has been proving to be very reliable in terms of speed and latency, meaning no one is reporting any annoying buffering."
The upgrade allows for 800 billion bits per bandwidth or is enough to transport 25 high-definition movies in one second. Baird checks in using Viavi hardware. Photo / Dean Purcell.
Evans adds, "We have up to 120 people connected to the two devices at any one time, plus eight VodafoneTV's streaming news 24/7 as well as printers and other office equipment."
The six-month trial using two Nokia Fastmile 5G Gateway devices is expected to run until end-September, to support the government's ongoing response to fighting Covid-19.
Baird told the Herald that Vodafone is preparing a fixed-wireless 5G launch for home users too. Up til now, the cost of the hardware has been a barrier.
Vodafone NZ technology director Tony Baird with some of the new Ciena brought in to boost bandwidth as his company upgrades to 5G and services a surge in remote working. Photo / Dean Purcell
On the mobile said, Baird said Vodafone expected the next iPhone to include 5G, which should help push the technology further toward the mainstream.
Earlier, Police chief information officer Rob Cochrane said the force's use of Vodafone 5G could eventually expand to drones, which could be used to map crash scenes using 4K video and 5G, and replace Eagle helicopters for some search and surveillance tasks.
Vodafone NZ strengthening its backbone
Meanwhile, Vodafone NZ is upgrading its network, in part to cater to the spikes in traffic we've seen over recent months as Kiwis lurch between the office and Zooming from home.
It says its the first provider in New Zealand to deploy 800G technology, enabling extremely high data capacity, transmission and speeds - although rival Spark is breathing down its neck. It recently upgraded a Glenfield to Papakura link to the technology as the first stage of a wider rollout.
Using Ciena's WaveLogic 5 Extreme (WL5e) coherent optics between its data centres in Auckland, Vodafone is achieving record transmission speeds to support growing, yet constantly fluctuating, demands for digital services while enabling a greener, less power-hungry network, Baird says.
The term 800G refers to 800 billion bits per second transmission capacity, which is enough to transport 25 high-definition movies in one second or the latest virtual reality game in a quarter of a second.
Baird showed off the Ciena kit (see Herald video above) at an unmarked data centre in an undisclosed central location. Despite two recent arrests related to arson attacks on Vodafone, Spark and 2degrees celltowers by conspiracy theorists, his company is still playing it safe with security.
By implementing Ciena's WL5e, Vodafone can better manage network requirements to support its recently launched 5G service, Baird says, plus the data spikes that have been caused as
The provider will also be able to offer a broad range of digital experiences by scaling from 200G up to 800G single wavelengths to optimise capacity across any distance while lowering costs.
Vodafone is leveraging its existing Ciena 6500 shelves, doubling the data throughput for each hardware module deployed and reducing energy consumption by 50 per cent, Baird says.
"With Ciena's WL5e, Vodafone will provide increased bandwidth for a plethora of data-hungry applications, especially necessary as we've seen both increases and spikes of data used during the past few months, a trend that is only set to continue as remote working becomes more widespread and New Zealand gears up for a more digitally-focused future. The highly advanced data transport system has been deployed together with Vodafone's optical partner Ciena and test equipment experts Viavi," Baird adds.
New Zealand is proving a boom market for the US-based Ciena in 2020.
Spark recently said it has completed the first phase of a three-stage network upgrade, also using Ciena's WL5e.
