Enable Services partners with Huawei for Christchurch UFB build

Enable Services has announced a partnership with Huawei New Zealand to supply the fibre equipment required for Christchurch’s NBN-equivalent, ultra-fast broadband (UFB) network and for services to manage operations and maintenance.

The multimillion-dollar contract covers the provision of all network equipment, including micro tube ducting, fibre optic cables and open access layer, two network solutions. It will also provide services for the 3,500 km UFB network that will extend across Christchurch and into growing centres in Waimakariri and Selwyn districts.

The access network will use leading-edge gigabit passive optical network (GPON) and gigabit point-to-point ethernet, over the Huawei network equipment, and a Metro ethernet switching system.

It will be managed with Huawei’s unified network management system.

Enable Services, General Manager Network, John Humm said:
“Since we won the UFB contract last year, we’ve been busy locking in supplier relationships required to deliver on this enormous project. This key relationship is one of the most important.

“The network equipment provided by Huawei is going to deliver services to our homes, schools and businesses for the next 50 years and more.”

Huawei NZ CEO Arthur Zhang said:
“We are very excited to be working with Enable Services - as they deploy network to the second largest UFB coverage area. We are very committed to developing our business in New Zealand and playing a significant role in this very important fibre infrastructure project.”

This contract is the second major UFB partnership in New Zealand for Huawei and, as a result of this contract, Huawei technology will cover 30% of the New Zealand fibre rollout. The company won a similar contract late last year to build the UFB network for Ultrafast Fibre in the Hamilton/Central North Island region.