Hyper speeds coming for Christchurch

Christchurch will get “Hyperfibre” from early August, says Enable Networks chief executive Steve Fuller.

The new service will offer up to eight times the speed of today’s fastest broadband plans in the city.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but Fuller says retail internet service providers will offer Hyperfibre plans shortly after network operator Enable makes the new service live — initially in the CBD before a broader rollout.

In places where Hyperfibre is already live, retail ISPs are charging from around $150 per month. Enable says its wholesale pricing will start at $75 per month, at least for the first 24 months.

The Christchurch City Council-owned and operated Enable also recently confirmed it would pay an $18 million dividend to the city for its 2021 financial year, which closed on June 30.

It was Enable’s first profit payout since the ultra-fast broadband rollout began in 2011, and was an increase on the $13.5m dividend it had forecast at the start of the financial year. The council-owned company’s full financials won’t be released until October. Enable had 130,000 residential and business customers connected to its fibre network as of June 30 — up on its forecast 127,500.

Next month, Enable is launching a range of Hyperfibre products, including 2 Gigabits per second, 4Gbps and 8Gbps.