Broadband work fires up net speed

Following the upgrade, residents and businesses should now be able to experience speeds of 10 to 20Mbps, depending on the distance to the broadband cabinet. Photo / Thinkstock

Many Bay residents now have access to improved internet services after broadband cabinets in the region were upgraded.

The areas included in the latest improvements are Clive, Frasertown, Te Awanga, Clifton and Waimarama.

This latest work means the company has now upgraded 29 cabinets in Hawke's Bay since the Rural Broadband Initiative started.

Chorus general manager of Infrastructure Ed Beattie said the latest upgrades would be well received by residents and businesses.

"Slow internet speeds have been a concern for businesses and residents in these areas for a while, so it's pleasing to be able to provide substantially improved infrastructure," he said

"There's no question that access to better broadband makes a significant difference to the lives of rural New Zealanders, and this work programme shows how passionate we are about improving rural connectivity."

Before the cabinet upgrades, residents and businesses in the areas could generally only access broadband speeds of 1 to 5Mbps, and at peak times, speeds could slow considerably.

Following the upgrade, residents and businesses should now be able to experience speeds of 10 to 20Mbps, depending on the distance to the broadband cabinet. Residents living within about 1km of their cabinet should be able to access a VDSL broadband service with speeds in excess of 20 Mbps. This is the fastest service over the company's existing copper network.

More importantly, the upgraded cabinet will mean better-quality broadband. For example, during peak times when lots of people were using the internet, the broadband speeds would remain consistent.

"More reliable and consistent broadband speeds will provide faster upload speeds for photographs and images, faster download speeds for music and movies, and better, clearer video conversations with friends and family," Mr Beattie said.

"In practical terms for rural businesses, such as farms, this means better connection to services like livestock improvement records and markets overseas, as well as improving time management through online purchasing. Technology plays a big part in modern farming and now residents in these areas can be part of that."

For more information about the broadband services now available in Hawke's Bay, see chorus.co.nz/maps.