Chorus want to retire the older copper network
. It’s not clear if Waikawa Beach is included in that plan.
Given that the fibre installation stopped at around #24 Strathnaver Drive and numerous people in Strathnaver commonly complain about their already poor quality (copper) Internet connections, it seems there are questions worth putting to Chorus. See my note at the end of this post.
On Facebook Sam Jennings, Horowhenua District Councillor, posted:
☎️Important Information From Chorus About Your Phone Lines☎️
The team from Chorus is coming to Horowhenua next week to have a chat with people in Levin, Manakau and Ohau about their phone and internet connections, with drop-in sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
The drop-in sessions are informal opportunities for people to come along and have a chat face-to-face over a cup of tea and get any questions answered.
The sessions are at Ohau Community Hall, between 10.30am and 12pm on Tuesday 22 August, at Levin RSA, between 3pm and 5pm on Wednesday 23 August, and at the Manakau Community Hall between 10.30am and 12pm on Thursday 24 August.
With faster and more resilient fibre connections available to people, Chorus is now looking to retire the older copper network in areas of Levin. The programme of copper withdrawal has been active in larger centres for over a year and is strictly managed to ensure people are given lots of notice and nobody is left without a connection.
Letters have been sent to the residents affected, and the events are an opportunity for them to come and discuss the next steps with Chorus. Obviously if people have other connection concerns then the team are more than happy to help.
Where fibre is available, there is usually no cost to install fibre, and if people are ready the ordering process can be started there and then at the events. People can also order the connection through their phone company or at the Chorus website.
On the Chorus website I entered an address for the south end of Reay Mackay Grove. The response was: ADSL and VDSL not supported; Fibre available on request. That was further explained with a note that fibre could be provided at the requester's cost.
We live near the Strathnaver lakes, Waimarie and Te Puna a te Ora, and happen to have excellent line of sight to at least one cell tower. We enjoy high-speed low-cost Internet through a One (Vodafone) 4G modem.
