Forced UFB move may start in March

Network company Chorus could start removing copper phone and broadband services from streets where ultrafast broadband is available from March next year, under a Commerce Commission proposal.

The commission expects to finalise the rules Chorus would need to follow when removing its copper lines from towns and cities covered by the first and largest stage of the UFB roll-out by September. About 185,000 homes in those areas still use a copper phone or broadband service.

Under a draft proposal published yesterday, Chorus would need to give those customers six months’ notice of the need to switch to an alternative network.

Chorus spokesman Steve Pettigrew confirmed that meant no-one could be forced off copper before March.

The commission said consumers would need to know ahead of any withdrawal of copper services that UFB-based home phones would not work in a power outage unless their UFB equipment had battery back-up.

That meant households would need a mobile phone — or battery backup — to be able to make emergency calls during a power cut. That was already the case for most copper-network customers who used cordless phones, the watchdog said.

Under the proposed code, Chorus will need to advise coppernetwork customers of those power issues and also that equipment such as fax machines and some medical alarms might not work with fibre services, before turning off their copper service.

The watchdog was working on a separate code to ensure vulnerable consumers could contact 111 during a power cut, it said.

Pettigrew said closing Chorus’ copper network would take years and Chorus had not decided whether to start the process next year, even if that was allowed.

‘‘There will be no indiscriminate ‘switch-off’ . . . It won’t be a ‘big bang’ like the switch from analog to digital TV.’’

Chorus would ‘‘make sure noone was left behind’’, especially with the importance of telecommunications services after Covid19, Pettigrew said. Chorus would continue to invest in its copper network in areas where UFB was not available, he said.

UFB phone and broadband plans are priced similarly to copper services but are faster and generally more reliable.

Chorus will be required to offer to connect customers to UFB freeof-charge before cutting them off from copper. It must provide a basic phone service over the UFB network for those who want a phone line, but not broadband.

Pettigrew said relatively few internet providers promoted that service, but it was available anywhere UFB was available.