Most of Aotearoa is now connected to the Ultra Fast Fibre broadband, with the roll out completing in 2022 a per the plan. However, there are still a few communities who don't quite have fibre. Rural Kiwis have the benefit of living in some of New Zealand's most green and peaceful landscapes. But this means they don't typically have fibre. They might instead use wireless broadband or VDSL copper. However, if you want to experience the speeds and capacities of fibre, we can help you see if you can get fibre to your property.
Well... this handy guide will explain just that!
First off - be warned... it is NOT a two minute job to get a new house connected onto the fibre network but it will be worth the wait. ULTRA FAST BROADBAND is, ironically, well worth waiting for!
The main steps to get your property on the UFB network in New Zealand are outlined below. One of the most important steps is of course to first off compare fibre broadband providers in NZ and ensure you have the best broadband deal available.
We find that Broadband Compare NZ helps with that! Compare Fibre Broadband plans here
Got a plan? OK. The next step to getting the actual ultra fast broadband connection into your house is not handled by your NZ Internet Service Provider, but is instead managed by the company that own and operate the actual network under the road. In most cases this company is Chorus. Chorus have connected tens of thousands of NZ homes and NZ businesses to their Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) network. The fibre install process is as easy as ABC - Agree, Build, Connect - but there are some small bits of life admin that you need to jump through.
Firstly, the local fibre company represetative will need to meet with you to discuss and agree how they will connect your home to the ultra fast fibre broadband network and they will be instructed to contact you by the ISP you have chosen to order your fibre broadband connection started. Once you have ordered your new fibre connection online or over the phone the fibre broadband network manager will contact you to arrange the start of the next steps. It is worth bearing in mind that if you live in a Rights of Way, apartment building or your business is based in shared premises you will need to seek consent from your neighbours, landlord or body corporate before anyone can begin installing fibre broadband.
The NZ broadband provider will book a day and either morning or afternoon for the broadband network technician to meet with you at your home or business to begin the installation process. It is worth keeping in mind that this is a completely new fibre network all across NZ and as such there is a bit of work to be done... liken it to getting a new sink put in, there is some planning needed and it can't just be done from thinking about it to getting it all complete... there needs to be a way to get the fibre from the street to your home or business, and inside your property. Chorus (or the local fibre company) will need to walk through the install process with you and get your agreement on how they are going to bring the fibre from the street to your property and where they will then install the new equipment in your house.
After that... they follow the A, B, C.
Agree.
Build.
Connect.
First thing to note is that you should really look to allow an hour for this visit and the fibre broadband network provider WILL need you to be there. The local fibre company will contact you to confirm a time to meet at your home or business to discuss and walk through what’s involved to install fibre into your property and get you connected to NZ ultra-fast broadband network.
As we said before, this visit will take around an hour and they do need you to be at home to walk you through the install process. Generally, the fibre network provider will confirm a morning or afternoon appointment with you first, then the fibre technician will call the morning of the day of your appointment to set a specific time with you. Allow one hour for this visit.
Once they have confirmed a time with you, the fibre broadband technician will meet with you at your property to walk through the installation process with you and plan your fibre install. This will include what they need to do to get the fibre from the road to the outside of the building and where they will install new equipment inside your property.
How the fibre is installed from the new network in the street to your property is largely determined by how your existing services are delivered (via a buried pipe, aerial cable, etc). For example, if you have an aerial cable now it is likely that they will replace it with a fibre aerial cable. At the end of the walk through they will ask you to agree to the install plan outlined by the fibre broadband technician and sign the UFB installation consent form.
The technician will discuss the next two steps in the install process - Build and Connect - with you whilst at the property.
For most residential properties including houses, homes in rights of way and within your apartment, you will not be charged to install fibre broadband and if there was a charge the NZ ISP will often pay it. Included in the fibre install are the following:
Connecting your property to the NZ fibre broadband network in your street via the most appropriate method as determined by the fibre service technician
Reinstating and repairing any surfaces that have been disturbed to install the fibre cable
Installing the external termination point on the outside of the property
Installing the optical network terminator inside your property
Connecting your NZ fibre broadband provider's modem
Testing your fibre broadband connection to ensure that everything is working
If you live in a retirement complex or apartment block it is worth checking costs as there may be charges from your NZ broadband provider to cover connection costs at their end.
A few common requests are not covered as a standard fibre broadband installation but may be available at a cost.
Requesting another install option from the road to the property e.g. if you chose to remove aerial cable and replace with a trenched cable.
Electrical work to add additional power sockets - you will need to contract an electrician to do this work
Moving the optical network terminator after it has been installed - so think about where you want it!
This part is better... because you don't need to be present for this part of your fibre broadband installation. The broadband technicians won't need to access your home or business as all this work happens outside. The technician returns to install fibre from the street to the outside of your property as agreed in the installation walk through.
Whilst you don't need to be present for the build stage you will need to be contactable by phone just in case there are changes that come up which are different to what you agreed to on the walk through. Sometimes the fibre broadband provider will be able to complete the Build work on the same day as the Agree or Connect steps.
Now comes the exciting bit! ...but you do need to allow up to four hours for this visit and you do need to be present as it takes place in your house or office.
The final stage of the installation is the completion of your connection to the ultra-fast broadband network (YAY!). This is where the fibre broadband technician from the network will meet you at your property and complete the internal wiring and installation of the new equipment inside your property as agreed earlier.
As we said above, this part can take a little time and you should allow up to four hours for this visit - the broadband technician needs to complete the work inside your home or business and so they will call you the morning of your connection appointment to confirm their arrival time. From the time the technician arrives you will need to be present for the whole time that they are there.
Once they’ve installed the fibre equipment, the fibre broadband technician will test that it works and ensure that you’re all up and running. They will ask you to confirm that you are happy with the installation before they tidy up and leave you to start enjoying the benefits of ultra-fast broadband!
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