Aerial delivery for broadband
Linking some remote South Westland schools to faster broadband has proved to be a tough task.
A helicopter and a big gang of linemen joined forces this week to lay about four kilometres of fibre-optic cable across bush-covered Mt Hercules as part of the Government’s $300 million rural broadband initiative.
The mountain, between Hari Hari and Whataroa, provided a complex challenge, requiring the cable to be pulled by air to waiting linemen, who mounted it on power poles.
A span across the Whataroa River is the only section left to complete the
Tough task: link south of Hari Hari, allowing schools in Whataroa, Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier to have faster broadband.
Fox Glacier School principal Brendon Smith said the school, which has a roll of 28 pupils, looked forward to having faster broadband.
‘‘It’s about making sure we have access to the outside world. We are fairly remote here.’’
He said the school had new computers and needed reliable access to broadband.
Greymouth-based Climo Communications designed the aerial route and West Coast firms Electronet Services and Coastwide Helicopters carried out the aerial cable installation.
The first section of cable crossing the mountain was installed about a month ago, and on Thursday the 4km section was attached to about 60 power poles.
Downer’s RBI manager, Peter Connor, said the aerial laying was unusual.
‘‘Most of the fibre we install is below ground, and using a helicopter and specialist linesman to install aerial fibre over rugged terrain is not common,’’ he said.
The rural broadband initiative was ‘‘a fulfilling project to work on because of the benefits it brings to rural communities, and these schools will soon have the opportunity to access fast broadband’’.
By the end of this month, Downer aimed to have installed fibre-optic cable to 115 South Island schools and two rural hospitals. The initiative began in the middle of last year and will provide faster broadband to 86 per cent of rural homes and 93 per cent of rural schools by the end of 2015.