09.04.09
Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand
Ernie Newman

Next time you’re in the north, look up! Northpower, take a big bow!

While the debate rages about the technological, environmental, financial and engineering issues surrounding a fibre optic business and residential deployment, the Whangarei-based lines company has quietly gone ahead and done it. It’s Ethernet-based EPON. No expensive ducting, no frills, but absolutely no cut corners.

With breathtaking simplicity along with engineering rigour, they’ve deployed fibre along the overhead power corridor right through the Whangarei CBD to the benefit of a diverse range of customers - from the local council to many seriously small businesses. TelstraClear is their retail partner, which I believe is to the great credit of that company. But the clock is ticking on a head start period after which the network will be an open access for use by all telcos who want it.

The system offers residential customers and SMEs symmetrical speeds of 100Mb (guaranteed 32MB). Large business and corporations get 100 Mb – 1 Gb. And its capable of full triple play.
This photo shows the fibre along the existing power corridor - its on the left hand arm of the lower cross bar, nearest to the pole. As you can see, visual pollution issues just don’t exist – the fibre cables range in diameter from 7.8mm to 17.4mm, compared to the electricity lines which can go up to 38.4mm.

The installation de-bunks several myths. First, it proves that modern overhead fibre’s visual impact is minimal. Please don’t even think about any comparison with the early, ugly days of cable - these wires blend with their electric counterparts like they’ve been there forever. The closure boxes on the poles are small and unobtrusive, and in a stroke of genius the coils of fibre reserved for future customer connections are tucked neatly out of sight behind the metal possum guards.

Second, the notion that poles generally would have to be strengthened for fibre is laughable – a layman can see in a second that the added weight and wind loading is minimal.

Third, there are absolutely no interference issues with the proximity of the fibre to the electricity wires. The fibre has no metallic components.

Street cabinets – what were they? Fibre jointing is all tucked away in unobtrusive pits – so small that if you used them for a hangi, you’d be struggling to feed a junior sevens team.

In my travels around Asia and Europe looking at “world leading” examples of metropolitan fibre, I’ve seen nothing to match this for simplicity, ingenuity, and especially cost-effectiveness.

I went to Whangarei a fortnight ago not sure what to expect. Yesterday I went back to show TUANZ Chairman Chris O’Connell. I’ve got two more trips in the pipeline to take influential visitors who need to see this stuff. As Northpower says, the hard work has been done and they can easily assist in replicating this in other areas.

Bring it on, I say! This is the future for mass fibre deployment. No wonder electric lines companies are mounting a serious claim to become the natural suppliers of fibre infrastructure to residential New Zealand, with telcos to compete to run the services across it on an open access basis.

If telcos want a future providing infrastructure as well as services, they’d better move fast. They are going to face an enormous runoff for the $1.5 billion. In Whangarei, I believe, we have a glimpse of the infrastructure of the future. I’m more than inspired!