Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is Fibre broadband?
A. Fibre Broadband is data transmission over Fibre (or fibre-optic cable) instead of Copper (the traditional method). Fibre is capable of reaching much faster speeds than Copper. Fibre-optic cable is made up of numerous strands of pure glass that transmit data via light strands. Effectively each strand, which is as thin as a human hair, is a beam of light of a specific colour. Fibre Broadband has a higher bandwidth, it's more reliable over long distance and it's less prone to interference than copper. It is because the data is transmitted using digital pulses of light that the performance is largely unaffected by distance, meaning that it doesn't matter how far you are from the exchange the speed of the broadband will be the same.
Q. When can I get fibre broadband?
A. Many business in Hawkes Bay, Taupo and Rotorua can get on it right now. Many have already connected to fibre. Depending on the location of your business premises, you may be near UnisonFibre's extensive Fibre Backbone and getting a connection to your door is as easy as making the request to your local service provider.
Q. What Actual Speeds can I expect?
A. Depending on your choice chosen plan, with direct fibre broadband connection, you can expect speeds starting at 10Mbps going up to 1Gig.
Q. Is there a contract period for the Fibre Service?
A. This is between you and your local Retail Service Provider. Most businesses already on the fibre network have broadband plans between 12 months and 36 months.
Q. How is it installed?
A. The installer will do a survey of the existing cabling in the building, and then propose to you the best installation method. Once approved, the installer will proceed.
Q. How long will the installation visit last?
A. This depends on the building structure. A simple building can be an hour and a complex one can be a couple of days.
Q. Will my existing broadband service be disrupted?
A. Your Retail Service Provider will communicate the provisioning process. In most cases there is little or no disruption to your business.
Q. Will I need to upgrade my PC or other equipment?
A. The simple answer is no, however there are many exciting applications that you will become capable of running after you've connected to fibre. Your Retail Service Provider will be able to advise you of these.
Q. Will I need any additional hardware?
A. No
Q. What are the plans available?
A. Plans can vary between service types (speeds) between, 10mbps, 50mbps 1000mbps and 1Gig. These can be over 12 – 36 months for the service depending on your preference. Detailed plans are available from your local retail service provider.
Q. What retail service providers will provide the plans?
A. Retail service providers, offering fibre based plans include: FX Networks, ItCo, WASP, Safe NZ, Modica, Solarix, Kordia, Datacom and Neocom.
Q. Who will I pay?
A. Payment for your plan goes directly to your local retail service provider. A payment scheme is arranged between you and the service provider.
Q. Can I use my current service provider?
A. the UnisonFibre network is an open access network which means any service provider can inter-connect to it. See our Service provider page for a list of those currently using UnisonFibre. If your current provider is not on the list encourage to getonit now!!
Q. Can I use Wifi (Wireless)?
A. Absolutely, however we recommend you have a modern access point to obtain the true fibre experience.
