NZ wants 2 fibres, not 1, to the home

While debate rages on in Australia as to whether government building broadband fibre right to the home is the best option for Australia, the New Zealand Government's fibre company Crown Fibre Holdings is looking at putting two fibres into each home as part of its Ultra-Fast Broadband initiative.

Crown Fibre Holdings CTO John Greenhough said that by putting two fibres into every home in the roll-out, the aim was to shift the competition for retailers to "competition in the home, not [competition] for the home" by allowing for extra capacity.

"We're trying to change [the market], it's why we're selling multiple ports into the home."

The company will offer four ports into each home through which companies would be able to offer services to consumers. Greenhough said that this presented citizens with a variety of options, including allowing companies to pay for their employees' home internet connection, while separating that connection from services like IPTV which could be provided by another company through one of the other ports.

New Zealand's Ultra-Fast Broadband initiative aims to have fast broadband delivered to 75 per cent of homes in 10 years. Crown Fibre Holdings recently announced a shortlist of 14 potential fibre partners and is expected to pass on its recommended partner choices to the New Zealand Government in late October.