FAQ
Why is Electricity Ashburton building a fibre optic network?
A. Primarily to support communications across our electricity network, however we have expanded capacity to allow residents on the fibre route to connect and benefit from this advanced technology.
Why fibre optic, what are the benefits?
It’s incredibly fast, with access speeds available anywhere from 1Mbit/s to 10Gbit/s (10,000Mbits/s) or more. Quality is also vastly superior to other communication technologies such as copper, wireless or satellite. A particular benefit to rural customers, fibre is not affected by distance or electromagnetic interference, unlike copper, so you will receive a crystal clear telephone service and speeds unaffected by distance or proximity to the cabinet (exchange).
Can I connect to the fibre network?
Only customers that are on the fibre route will be able to connect. We will notify you directly if our fibre passes your home or business and give you details of how to connect.
Where is the fibre network route?
We have deployed some 350km of fibre across the district, as far north as Lincoln University. Visit http://www.broadbandmap.govt.nz/map
I’m not on the fibre route, will Electricity Ashburton expand the fibre network to my area?
We plan to expand the fibre network across Mid-Canterbury through a staged deployment. We will post updates to this website and contact you directly when fibre is available in your area.
Where exactly are the fibre optic cables? Are they on the power poles?
No, we bury all our fibre optic cabling underground. This protects them and ensures there is no visual impact on the environment. Only our cabinets sit above ground and these are typically located in our electricity network zone sub-stations.
How much will it cost?
We expect the cost of broadband and telephone services to be about the same as current market rates, but these prices are determined by Service Providers (link), not Electricity Ashburton. We charge a small installation fee to connect your home to the network
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