Chorus increased its fixed line connections by 6000 lines in the three months to 30 September, with total broadband connections increasing 15,000 to 1.18 million.
The telecommunications network operator painted a positive picture of its UFB deployment, saying it continues to be ahead of schedule, with the rollout 34% complete.
However, it admitted its Boost HD offering was now ‘on hold’. While a ‘small number’ of customers are interested in the offering it is ‘too difficult with current uncertainties’ Chorus says.
The company announced its plans for Boost HD wholesale ‘boosted copper’ offering back in May. However, its planned wholesaling has been stymied by Commerce Commission action.
Boost VDSL is still proposed to launch 01 December at $44.55 until 31 December, including applicable install charges. Existing basic VDSL will continue to be available from 01 December.
Chorus fibre now passes about 286,000 premises at September 30, meaning 386,000 end-users are within reach of ultrafast broadband.
Fibre now accounts for 3%, or 53,000, of Chorus’ 1.78 million fixed line connections, up from 42,000 at the end of June.
VDSL connections grew from 49,000 to 61,000 during the period.
Combined, VDSL and fibre, increased from 8% to 10% of broadband connections.
The company’s rural broadband rollout also continues ‘at pace’ it says, with 75,000 rural lines ‘within reach of better broadband’ by the end of September. The company says uptake is sitting at 80%.
Chorus says it’s seeing a steady migration to broadband, data and fibre, with demand for high speed broadband growing and a steady migration away from the basic copper services to the high speed copper and fibre offerings.
Voice/dial-up lines are steadily declining, but still represent a quarter of Chorus’ connections, the company says.
Chorus says ‘naked’ lines, where customers have opted to bypass having a traditional phone service as part of the deal, now account for 7% of fixed line connections.
