Mercury enhances services with One NZ fibre network upgrade

Mercury, a renewable electricity generator and multi-product utility retailer in New Zealand, is enhancing its broadband offering by leveraging One New Zealand's (One NZ) fibre network and advanced optical technology from Ciena.

The move is aimed at improving both the scalability and resiliency of Mercury's services to meet increasing customer demands for high-speed, reliable internet access.

One NZ, which has been Mercury's backhaul provider since 2016, supplies high-quality and resilient wholesale fibre services throughout the country. These services include multiple 100 Gb/s connections that link Mercury's customers to major global internet points and help reduce network outages.

To address the rising demand for bandwidth, One NZ recently upgraded Mercury's network to support 400G between Auckland, Hamilton, and Tauranga.

"This network, provided by One NZ and enabled by Ciena technology, allows our engineers to spend more time pursuing new avenues of growth, such as adding new customers and creating innovative service offerings, rather than resolving network issues," said Michael Stevenson, ISP Team Leader at Mercury.

To support Mercury's growth strategy, One NZ is using Ciena's 6500 platform powered by WaveLogic 5 Extreme (WL5e), a programmable 800 Gb/s coherent technology. This technology boosts the performance of the optical network while also optimising power usage.

"One NZ has a long history collaborating with Ciena on high-speed internet solutions and we're pleased to support Mercury in its growth ambitions," said Murray Osborne, General Manager of Infrastructure Partners at One NZ.

"Connectivity is an essential service, and a lifeline for many, so reliability is incredibly important. We are implementing world-class solutions with Ciena's leading coherent optical technology."

WL5e transponders with 400GE client interfaces are delivered in the same physical footprint as their previous generation counterparts with 100GE interfaces, offering a more efficient approach to network expansion.

This allows Mercury to better support increasing broadband demand while aligning with its mission of supporting a low-emissions future for New Zealand.

Mercury has been steadily building its broadband capabilities as a key area of growth since acquiring Trustpower's retail business in 2022. This expansion into broadband is seen as a natural extension of the company's utility services, supporting both its commercial goals and broader sustainability objectives.

The enhanced connectivity between major cities and the increased network capacity position Mercury to serve a growing base of broadband customers while maintaining service reliability and efficiency.