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Broadband competition in New Zealand has heated up, with Vodafone today introducing its new, high-speed 'Red' network.
The launch of the ADSL2+ network has been made possible by 'local loop unbundling' - allowing companies to install their own equipment in Telecom exchanges - which began last year.
Vodafone chief executive Russell Stanners said the company had already unbundled over half of Auckland's exchanges, and would have completed all 41 by the end of the October.
The network, expected to run at a maximum download pace of 24Mbps, would then be extended outside Auckland.
"Based on the market today, we'd look at Hamilton, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Rotorua and Taupo, and of course Wellington," he said.
Christchurch and Dunedin would come later.
Marketing head Mark Rushworth explained that the network would not be hobbled, and that customers could expect the best possible performance for available.
"All of the plans on the Red Network are unrestricted on upload and download," he said.
Line speed would be the maximum possible,"only choked by their distance from the exchange."
Should the network growth outstrip projected capacity, Rushworth said it was a simple case of adding more high speed gear.
"If we run out of high speed capacity, we'll have some more high speed equipment there the next day," he said.
"But we have already allowed headroom for capacity growth," said CEO Stanners.
While the next-generation network that will eventually serve both fixed line and mobile, although broadband plans announced today are focussed on home lines.
"Mobile broadband bundling will come towards the end of this year," Rushworth said.
There are three basic fixed line plans available, all bundled with home phone lines, which can then be upgraded with various toll plans.
Easy costs $70, with 1GB of bandwidth, Ideal is $80 and comes with 5GB and Ultimate gives 20GB.
Those who go over their limit can double their data for $5, $10 and $30 respectively, or continue surfing at 64kbps without incurring extra charges.
A Red network home phone line alone will cost $40.
The network which uses Huawei super IPs DSLAM boxes, is VDSL2 (Very high speed Digital Subscriber Line) capable, although this won't be available until after the Commerce Commission decides its management policy for VDSL.
Customers within 300 metres of an exchange can expect speeds of up to 50Mbps downstream and 20 up, said Rushworth.
The suburbs that can tap into the Red network now are Ponsonby, Browns Bay, Birkdale, Blockhouse Bay, Pakuranga, Glenfield, Mt Albert, Takapuna, Remuera, Manurewa, Ellerslie, Mt Eden, Henderson, Howick, Auckland City, Birkenhead, Mt Roskill, Glen Eden and St Heliers. Massey is expected to be live by the end of this month.