Today you may have heard that we have announced that the Government has decided to award the bulk of the Ultrafast Broadband (UFB) initiative to Telecom.

The agreement we’ve reached means our network business Chorus has been chosen as the Crown’s UFB partner in 24 regions, which represent around 70% of the UFB coverage area.

Read the Telecom media statement.

Between 2012 and 2015 fibre will be delivered first to priority clients, which includes schools, hospitals and businesses.

In addition, Chorus will enter partnering discussions with Christchurch City Holdings Ltd (CCHL) about partnering with its subsidiary Enable to deliver UFB to Canterbury too.

Under the agreement, Chorus will become a new listed company completely independent of Telecom (structural separation) and form the cornerstone of New Zealand’s fibre future.  We will be laying the first fibre for the Ultra-fast Broadband initiative from August this year, while continuing the process to demerge Chorus in parallel.

We are excited to be able to play such a significant role in delivering New Zealand’s fibre future. 

We will be in touch with further updates on the benefits of fibre in the new world, and how you can apply these benefits to your own business model.

If you have any questions, or want to discuss this further with me or any of the Gen-i team, please let us know.

Chris Quin
CEO Gen-i Australasia