Chorus boosts NZ business fibre with new 1Gbps option, faster fixes

Chorus has introduced a set of enhancements to its business fibre plans in New Zealand, including a new 1Gbps symmetrical option and quicker restoration services, aimed at supporting the increasing digital requirements of small and medium-sized businesses.

The updated plans come as digitalisation continues to play an essential role in business productivity and competitiveness, prompting demand for more robust and reliable connectivity across the country.

According to Dan Kelly, General Manager of Access at Chorus, the transformation towards digital tools presents significant advantages for business operations. "Digitalisation is not something businesses can or should shy away from. It's an opportunity to work smarter, using tools that can drive business productivity and efficiency. With the rise of cloud software, increasing files sizes, hybrid work models, and always-on customer expectations - having connectivity that keeps up with the pace of business can make the difference where it matters," says Kelly.

Kelly cited recent findings from Xero, highlighting that adopting digital tools is a crucial enabler for productivity growth at both national and individual business levels. "Recent Xero reporting shows adoption of digital tools is a key enabler for small business productivity growth, both at a national and individual level. Insights from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research show that a 20% increase in the number of businesses adopting cloud-based business tools in the future could add up to NZD $7.8 billion to New Zealand's GDP through increased productivity."

Among the updates, Chorus has launched a new 1Gbps symmetrical plan, which offers equal upload and download speeds, and has improved committed information rates to guarantee bandwidth for critical business applications. The company has also introduced faster restoration timeframes and enhancements to service reporting.

Kelly stated that these adjustments are part of Chorus's objective to cooperate with internet service providers in delivering connectivity solutions tailored to business requirements. "These enhancements to the business fibre plans reflect Chorus' ongoing commitment to working with internet services providers to deliver robust, fit-for-purpose products and services for the business community," says Kelly.

The enhancements were developed after targeted consultation and market research to determine the current needs of enterprises in New Zealand.

Chorus' recent research underscores businesses' growing dependence on internet connectivity. The data shows that the average time businesses can operate without the internet has dropped to 6.9 hours, compared to 9.6 hours in 2022. Daily activities such as e-commerce transactions, cloud application use, video conferencing, and EFTPOS payments rely heavily on a reliable internet service.

According to the research, the effects of connectivity outages are immediate and significant. Impacts identified include disruption to operating function (54%), compromised customer satisfaction (49%), reduced productivity (48%), and lessened revenue (43%). Additionally, 60% of businesses identified rapid service restoration as the most important connectivity feature.

"New Zealand businesses need the right infrastructure in place to support them on their digitalisation journey," Kelly adds. "We're confident that the Chorus fibre network delivers exactly what they need to do so confidently. It starts with reliable, built-for-purpose, business-grade connectivity, and you have that here with business fibre."

Chorus references customer examples such as Method, an enterprise relying on high-speed, symmetrical bandwidth to manage large animation files and collaborate with international clients, and Isometric, which requires uninterrupted, high-bandwidth internet to support its cloud-based operations and day-to-day business activities. Chorus notes that service-based and e-commerce businesses with demands for speed and reliability can benefit from the expansive capabilities of the updated business fibre and Hyperfibre plans.

Chorus' fibre network forms part of the infrastructure underpinning connectivity for thousands of New Zealand business. It follows over a decade of involvement in rolling out the government's Ultra-Fast Broadband programme.