Port network boosted by high speed fibre

Port of Napier has adopted high-speed fibre broadband thanks to Unison's installation of the Marine Parade section of its fibre backbone in Napier.

Unison Group chief executive Ken Sutherland said the fast accurate flow of information was essential for the most important economic hub of Hawke's Bay.

"When planning the roll-out of fibre in Hawke's Bay, we considered key economic drivers, and obviously the Port of Napier was a vital component," he said. "It was a priority to ensure they had access to the network, and could experience the benefits offered by fibre."

The Port of Napier views fibre as a crucial element in ensuring high quality and reliable data transfer; connecting to the network via Safe NZ.

Steve Watson, IT manager of the port, said reliable communications were vital.

"As a vital central New Zealand gateway for international cargo, the Port of Napier uses electronic data interchange (EDI) software to co-ordinate its various logistics functions," he said.

"This crucial piece of software transfers shipping data between the port, shipping lines, Customs and Maf via the ultra-fast fibre network.

"Basically if the EDI stops, the port stops. It would cause a flow-on affect that would cause a massive loss in productivity."

UnisonFibre is in the final stage of the fibre network build in Hawke's Bay, with Havelock North, Omahu and Napier CBD to be completed by the middle of the year. Wellington-based SafeNZ was the port's retail fibre provider.