Ultrafast broadband is confirmed to be deployed in central Queenstown and five other New Zealand towns from July this year.
Chorus announced yesterday the telecommunications infrastructure company will start building the UFB network in Queenstown, Invercargill, Oamaru, Timaru, Nelson and Whakatane in the second year of its national roll-out, as well as continue to extend its fibre network further in areas where work was already under way.
Chorus said it would have delivered fibre past 149,000 premises, including downtown Queenstown, by June 2013.
Chief executive Mark Ratcliffe said Chorus published its second-year plans in advance of deployment to let retail service providers, district councils and communities know about the work.
"We are gaining the momentum we expected as we move into the second year of UFB build. Each week, our team lays a further 50km of new fibre-optic cable past homes, schools, major health facilities and businesses.
"We're excited about starting work in new towns. While plans for remaining areas are still being developed we will start work in all our UFB towns and cities in year three."
Chorus was working with Crown Fibre Holdings on the indicative deployment forecasts for the full UFB programme and plans to share these with industry and consult with councils over the next few months.
Chorus has already begun the roll-out of the UFB network in Auckland, Ashburton, Blenheim, Dunedin, Napier-Hastings, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Taupo and the greater Wellington region, including Masterton.
