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Chorus recently commissioned its first purpose-built fibre exchange, marking a major digital infrastructure milestone for one of New Zealand’s largest and fastest growing developments.
As demand for highspeed internet continues to increase, the exchange provides fit-for-purpose fibre broadband for households and businesses moving into the wider Drury area.
The exchange fibre footprint covers Drury, Runciman, Karaka, Ramarama and Ararimu, with connections available for more than
2300 households and businesses and room for more as the area develops.
Chorus general manager of network operations Marcus Wofinden says the exchange has been designed specifically to support the future needs of a rapidly transforming region – delivering sustainable energy use, reduced carbon emissions, stronger resiliency to extreme weather events and the capacity to scale in line with population growth and economic activity.
“Drury is being built for the future and having future ready digital infrastructure in place from day one is a critical part of that. This exchange connects Kiwis with faster, more resilient internet for their everyday essential needs, while giving long-term confidence for businesses, developers, the council and infrastructure partners that connectivity will scale as the area grows.”
Historically, Chorus exchanges housed copper-based telephone and broadband equipment and connected local homes and businesses to the national network.
Fibre was added over time as demand grew for the technology.
“Our first exchange built for fibre marks a defining moment in the transition away from copper. The move signals a shift towards modern, more efficient and scaleable infrastructure that supports what Kiwis are doing online today, and anticipates the opportunities high-speed connectivity will unlock in the years ahead,” he says.
The old Chorus exchange building at Drury had to be moved to make way for the realignment of State Highway 1 (SH1) and the Drury southbound on-ramp as part of the SH1 Papakura to Drury (P2D) project, currently being constructed by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA). A new exchange building was built in agreement with Chorus by the P2D project.
“Completing the replacement building was a milestone for the P2D project, providing an opportunity for Chorus to upgrade their facility as part of the move,” says Stephen Collett, NZTA regional manager of infrastructure delivery.
With no copper to maintain, Chorus says the exchange is more sustainable to run, more resilient in weather events and serves a much larger footprint across south Auckland.
