Chorus Limited — BrandWiki

Chorus Limited

Overview

Chorus Limited

type	Public
traded as	nzx: CNU asx: CNU
area served	New Zealand
key people	Mark Aue (CEO)
industry	Telecommunications
products	Telecommunications, fibre optic infrastructure
num employees	963 (December 2016)
foundation	2011; years ago
location	Wellington, New Zealand
homepage	http://chorus.co.nz

Chorus is New Zealand’s largest telecommunications infrastructure company. It builds and operates nationwide fibre broadband and copper telecommunication networks. It is listed on the NZX and ASX stock exchange and is in the NZX 50 Index.

The company owns the majority of the country’s telephones lines, exchange equipment, and is responsible for building the majority of the country’s fibre-optic, Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) network. As of 2024, the network covers up to 87% of New Zealanders, with at 75% uptake.[1]

By law, it cannot sell directly to consumers,[2] but instead provides wholesale services to retailers.

Products

Fibre

Chorus operates an open access network to provide wholesale fibre services to phone and broadband retail providers, alongside city infrastructure such as exchanges and transport.

Copper

Chorus is the owner of New Zealand’s copper network. The network can deliver broadband and phone services to customers. As of December 2024, Chorus reports around 122,000 copper lines remain active.[9]

Contrary to the standard overseas practice of providing full-speed Fibre, Chorus plans differ in the amount of data and speed allocated.[10] As DSL is sensitive to distance, the closer the customer is to the equipment, the faster the connections. Chorus has implemented a fibre-to-the-node (also known as "cabinetisation") project to bring the equipment closer to the user, so 91% of the lines are able to access an ADSL2+ connection of 10 Mbit/s or more.[11][12]

The copper loop is unbundled, so operators like Vodafone and Vocus can install their own equipment at telephone exchanges and just rent the copper line from Chorus. As of December 2013, 130,000 (7%) lines are unbundled.[13]

Copper retirement

Copper connections have been steadily decreasing since the fibre-optic network came online, with many in fibre areas choosing to move across.

In November 2018, the Telecommunications act was amended, requiring the New Zealand Commerce Commission to prepare a Copper Withdrawal Code, which came into effect on 1 March 2021. The Code had set out minimum requirements that Chorus must meet before it stops supplying copper services.[14]

An updated Code was published in February of 2024, which refined the 2021 version by streamlining notification requirements and clarifying service replacement expectations, ensuring a smoother transition for consumers as Chorus phases out copper in fibre-ready areas.[15]

In March 2021, Chorus retired a first trial batch of 28 copper cabinets, in densely populated, urban areas where the majority of customers have moved on to the fibre network. Subsequently, it announced intentions to switch off copper cabinets in accordance with the Code, and following the scheduled roll-out of the ultra-fast fibre broadband network. In 2024, Chorus reports it endeavours to retire the copper network by 2030.[16]

Consumer trends in New Zealand show a steady decline in copper network use, particularly in rural areas.

Copper retirement

Copper connections have been steadily decreasing since the fibre-optic network came online, with many in fibre areas choosing to move across.

Consumer trends in New Zealand show a steady decline in copper network use, particularly in rural areas. A 2022 Federated Farmers survey found 23% of respondents reported declining landline service, mostly on copper, while 20% used satellite broadband and nearly a third accessed landlines via VoIP.

The 2023 Telecommunications Monitoring Report showed rural satellite connections tripled to 34,000 (14% market share), putting New Zealand at the top of the OECD for satellite use per capita. Although 97% of rural copper users are within reach of fixed wireless or WISP networks, around 2,700 remain outside coverage. Rural users reported lower broadband satisfaction (68%) compared to urban users (78%), and Starlink speeds (184 Mbps) far outpaced other rural options. Retail copper prices were also $28 above the OECD average, driven mainly by retail rather than wholesale costs.

Chorus Limited

Products

Fibre

Fibre build service agreements

Fibre build service agreements

Copper

Copper retirement

Copper retirement

History

External links

References