Business Central September 2021

24 | DEVELOPMENT Ultrafast Fibre Fibre - a ‘lifeline’ during lockdowns T T Karen Phelps John Hanna: “Demand and reliance on digital connectivity continues to remain above what it was before the arrival of Covid-19....” W hen last year’s Covid-19 Level 4 lockdown occurred the nation saw just how essential fibre broadband was to keeping communities, businesses, health and education sectors connected, says Ultrafast Fibre (UFF) CEO John Hanna. “Fibre proved to be a work and entertain- ment lifeline during lockdowns,” he says. “Handling Zoom and Teams calls without missing a beat, at the same time as allowing the family to watch Netflix, game and stream all at the same time. Demand and reliance on digital connectivity continues to remain above what it was before the arrival of Covid-19 in New Zealand,” he says. John says that with fibre people get a much faster, more consistent and reliable internet experience because fibre’s bandwidth (capac - ity to carry lots of data at once) is well placed to ensure everyone in the home or business has the experience they deserve. “Whether you’re a freelancer, start-up, or fully-fledged SME your business connection needs to complement and enhance your busi- ness functions and allow you to innovate and be as productive as possible.” UFF has a dedicated Business Connections Team based in Hamilton, which works closely with broadband service providers, giving businesses the confidence and peace of mind about the level of service they will receive once they sign up for fibre. John says that UFF recognises that connec- tions for businesses are of critical importance and often require a higher level of co-ordina- tion to get the job done. “With that in mind our dedicated team’s focus is to ensure all business connections are handled with the care and attention that guarantees a premium service is delivered,” he says. UFF are also committed to always ensuring it will meet consumer appetite for additional broadband speed and capacity. 2020 saw the release of Hyperfibre through UFF. John says that Hyperfibre is the next generation of fibre technology and offers speeds never experi - enced before in New Zealand. “Hyperfibre offers speeds of 2000 Mbps, 4000 Mbps and 8000 Mbps (still to come) - for both upload and download - meaning users can consume and create content online simulta- neously and much much faster,” he says. Hyperfibre is currently available through two retailers within the UFF region. One busi- ness-based provider, Lightwire Business, and the other provider Orcon, which covers both business and residential connections. The areas that Hyperfibre is available within the UFF region includes Hamilton, Tauran- ga, New Plymouth, Matangi, Te Kauwhata, Cambridge, Te Puke, Huntly, Waitara and Whanganui. Established as a local fibre company in 2010, UFF has built and owns and operates the UFB network in the urban areas of Ham- ilton, Tauranga, Whanganui, New Plymouth, Tokoroa, Hāwera, Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Stratford, Ōmokoroa, Ngāruawāhia, Tirau, Katikati, Putāruru, Tamahere and Matangi. Its 3,000km fibre network represents about 17% of the Government’s national UFB initiative. It provides access to UFB technology for more than 240,000 households, schools, businesses and healthcare facilities in these areas. John says that uptake for fibre has been very strong and has already reached 68% across the towns within the UFF region. Uptake in Hamilton is exceptionally strong at 76% and still climbing. “We are building next-generation prod- ucts for the very near future so that we stay well ahead of demand for new applications, devices and other emerging digital transfor- mation scenarios, many of which haven’t been invented yet. Unlocking exponentially superior broadband capability will bring significant in - novation and productivity gains to businesses, as well as new ways to connect and collabo- rate. The future of fibre is exciting.”