Internet outage hits thousands in lower North Island
A spokesperson for the telecommunications infrastructure company told 1News shortly after midday that all impacted services were back online.
"Chorus sincerely apologises for the inconvenience caused and are investigating the root issue."
DownDetector showed a large spike in outages across telecommunications companies Spark, One NZ, Skinny and 2Degrees from around 10.45am.
A Chorus map showed that at the peak of the outage, more than 10,000 services were affected.
ADVERTISEMENT
More than 10,000 services affected by the outage across Wellington. (Source: Chorus)
Voyager also said it had identified an issue impacting its Chorus Wellington UFB handover.
"This handover services Wellington, Kapiti, Hutt Valley, Palmerston North and through to Napier. Currently around 90% of connections are offline. We are working with Chorus on a resolution."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
03-08-2025
- Scoop
Download Weekly: One plans more MVNOs
Article – Bill Bennett In this edition: One NZ plans branded MVNOs – Chorus extends fibre network – Spark shuffles board One NZ turns to Fastter to kickstart MVNO business One New Zealand has a three-year deal with Australia's Fastter, a business packaging MVNOs for brands looking for quick entry into the mobile market. To customers, MVNOs or Mobile Virtual Network Operators look like telcos. They have their own billing and support systems, but behind the scenes they piggyback off existing networks and infrastructure. In many cases, MVNOs are able to innovate and offer plans that are distinct from those sold by traditional carriers. David Joss, CEO of Advantai Group, the company behind Fastter, says if the conditions are right, his business can launch a fully branded mobile offering in nine weeks. Usually the process takes more than nine months and requires significant investment. Removing the barriers He says Fastter removes the barriers to market entry: 'We're offering zero risks to entry via a revenue-share model. Time, cost and regulatory compliance are usually the key challenges for brands to launch their own mobile solutions, which we manage for our partners.' Businesses in the Advantai Group already support more than a dozen Australian MVNOs. Advantai's pitch is to sell mobile as a tool for established brands such as supermarkets or fuel companies to build greater customer loyalty. New Zealand MVNOs missing in action To date, MVNOs have not been as prominent in New Zealand as elsewhere in the world. Estimates suggest MVNOs account for between 17 and 19 percent of Australia's mobile market. Similarly, they represent around 17 percent of the UK market. In Denmark they are a third of the market. Generally they are nearer to 10 percent, yet in New Zealand they have steadfastly remained at less than 2 percent. One NZ general manager Murray Osborne says there is massive untapped potential for brands: 'This is the perfect way to ensure your brand is in your customers' pockets. Phones are now people's life remotes, and no one in New Zealand is offering this sort of out-of-the-box solution yet.' Chorus completes fibre expansion Last week saw the completion of the civil engineering stage of a $40 million project to expand the Chorus fibre network further into rural and regional areas. Chorus says 59 communities will soon have access to fibre after the largest network expansion since the end of the government supported UFB programme three years ago. The expansion passes 9000 premises. Chorus says more than half of the 4500 premises that are ready for service have indicated interest in being connected. Rotorua was a focus, with 10 communities and over 1800 premises connected. Good response Chorus CEO Mark Aue says there has already been a good response in the newly connected areas and that he expects numbers to grow now that the construction work is complete. 'At a time where core infrastructure is increasingly being lost in regional New Zealand, we're trying to do the opposite and rebuild through digital capability.' The next step for Chorus' network expansion is to turn a proposal that was included in the draft National Infrastructure Plan into reality. Aue says the company is committed to partnering with government and industry to explore innovative funding models that draw on both public and private capital to extend fibre coverage even further. 'We're not stopping here. The next 8 percent of fibre coverage equates to around 160,000 premises across 1,000 communities. For an expected cost of $2.7 billion, extending fibre to 95 percent of the country is projected to deliver over $17 billion in economic benefits over the next decade.' Spark shuffle board, prepares to announce data centre partner Spark is describing a change of board members as a 'strategic renewal'. There are three new directors: Lindsay Wright, Vince Hawksworth and Tarek Robbiati. Gordon MacLeod and Sheridan Broadbent are stepping down. Spark chair Justine Smyth is also stepping down. For now, there is no indication of her replacement. Meanwhile, a report in the Australian Financial Review says Spark's recent board meeting discussed which one of four bidders will take a substantial stake in the company's data centre business. InternetNZ defeats external challenge InternetNZ, the administrator of New Zealand's .NZ country code top-level domain, appears to have weathered the storm at last night's AGM. A series of ten motions advocated by the Free Speech Union and its allies were all defeated by a healthy margin. The motions were designed, among other things, to distance the organisation from its previous commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi. For now details are sketchy. We'll have more on this story in a future report. Meanwhile, here is the background to the challenge. Tuatahi hires Cleaver as CFO Tuatahi First Fibre chief financial officer Anna Cleaver.c Anna Cleaver is Tuatahi First Fibre's new chief financial officer. She joins Tuatahi from Kingfisher and has previously worked for Chorus in New Zealand and Telstra in Australia. Cleaver has competed as a professional triathlete. She replaces Joel Bettley who spent six years with the central North Island fibre wholesale company. International MVNO expands coverage Customers of US-based international MVNO Fonus can now have local phone numbers in the UK, Mexico, Hong Kong, Sweden and Chile. Previously customers had to use either US or Canadian numbers. It's the latest step for a business aimed at travellers and remote workers. Fonus uses the Spark network in New Zealand. In other news… New Zealand's new ground-based space infrastructure law —Newsroom India now ships more phones than China —The Register A tech career can take you all the way to the top —ITP Techblog This week's NZ satellite broadband market analysis has moved to its own page. Download Weekly five years ago Spark announced plans to start its main 5G mobile roll-out in Palmerston North. This low key approach was eight months after rival Vodafone had entered the 5G market with a bang. Spark had to wait for suitable spectrum to become available while Vodafone had its own spectrum ready to go. Enjoy the Download Weekly? Feel free to pass this email on to your colleagues. The Download Weekly is supported by Chorus New Zealand. One NZ plans more MVNOs was first posted at
Scoop
03-08-2025
- Scoop
Download Weekly: One plans more MVNOs
Sunday, 3 August 2025, 11:51 am Article: Bill Bennett One NZ turns to Fastter to kickstart MVNO business Kieran Byrne, One NZ chief technology officer and David Joss, Advantai Group CEO. One New Zealand has a three-year deal with Australia's Fastter, a business packaging MVNOs for brands looking for quick entry into the mobile market. To customers, MVNOs or Mobile Virtual Network Operators look like telcos. They have their own billing and support systems, but behind the scenes they piggyback off existing networks and infrastructure. In many cases, MVNOs are able to innovate and offer plans that are distinct from those sold by traditional carriers. David Joss, CEO of Advantai Group, the company behind Fastter, says if the conditions are right, his business can launch a fully branded mobile offering in nine weeks. Usually the process takes more than nine months and requires significant investment. Removing the barriers He says Fastter removes the barriers to market entry: 'We're offering zero risks to entry via a revenue-share model. Time, cost and regulatory compliance are usually the key challenges for brands to launch their own mobile solutions, which we manage for our partners.' Businesses in the Advantai Group already support more than a dozen Australian MVNOs. Advantai's pitch is to sell mobile as a tool for established brands such as supermarkets or fuel companies to build greater customer loyalty. New Zealand MVNOs missing in action To date, MVNOs have not been as prominent in New Zealand as elsewhere in the world. Estimates suggest MVNOs account for between 17 and 19 percent of Australia's mobile market. Similarly, they represent around 17 percent of the UK market. In Denmark they are a third of the market. Generally they are nearer to 10 percent, yet in New Zealand they have steadfastly remained at less than 2 percent. One NZ general manager Murray Osborne says there is massive untapped potential for brands: 'This is the perfect way to ensure your brand is in your customers' pockets. Phones are now people's life remotes, and no one in New Zealand is offering this sort of out-of-the-box solution yet.' Chorus completes fibre expansion Last week saw the completion of the civil engineering stage of a $40 million project to expand the Chorus fibre network further into rural and regional areas. Chorus says 59 communities will soon have access to fibre after the largest network expansion since the end of the government supported UFB programme three years ago. The expansion passes 9000 premises. Chorus says more than half of the 4500 premises that are ready for service have indicated interest in being connected. Rotorua was a focus, with 10 communities and over 1800 premises connected. Good response Chorus CEO Mark Aue says there has already been a good response in the newly connected areas and that he expects numbers to grow now that the construction work is complete. 'At a time where core infrastructure is increasingly being lost in regional New Zealand, we're trying to do the opposite and rebuild through digital capability.' The next step for Chorus' network expansion is to turn a proposal that was included in the draft National Infrastructure Plan into reality. Aue says the company is committed to partnering with government and industry to explore innovative funding models that draw on both public and private capital to extend fibre coverage even further. 'We're not stopping here. The next 8 percent of fibre coverage equates to around 160,000 premises across 1,000 communities. For an expected cost of $2.7 billion, extending fibre to 95 percent of the country is projected to deliver over $17 billion in economic benefits over the next decade.' Spark shuffle board, prepares to announce data centre partner Spark is describing a change of board members as a 'strategic renewal'. There are three new directors: Lindsay Wright, Vince Hawksworth and Tarek Robbiati. Gordon MacLeod and Sheridan Broadbent are stepping down. Spark chair Justine Smyth is also stepping down. For now, there is no indication of her replacement. Meanwhile, a report in the Australian Financial Review says Spark's recent board meeting discussed which one of four bidders will take a substantial stake in the company's data centre business. InternetNZ defeats external challenge InternetNZ, the administrator of New Zealand's .NZ country code top-level domain, appears to have weathered the storm at last night's AGM. A series of ten motions advocated by the Free Speech Union and its allies were all defeated by a healthy margin. The motions were designed, among other things, to distance the organisation from its previous commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi. For now details are sketchy. We'll have more on this story in a future report. Meanwhile,here is the background to the challenge. Tuatahi hires Cleaver as CFO Tuatahi First Fibre chief financial officer Anna Cleaver. Tuatahi First Fibre chief financial officer Anna Cleaver.c Anna Cleaver is Tuatahi First Fibre's new chief financial officer. She joins Tuatahi from Kingfisher and has previously worked for Chorus in New Zealand and Telstra in Australia. Cleaver has competed as a professional triathlete. She replaces Joel Bettley who spent six years with the central North Island fibre wholesale company. International MVNO expands coverage Customers of US-based international MVNO Fonus can now have local phone numbers in the UK, Mexico, Hong Kong, Sweden and Chile. Previously customers had to use either US or Canadian numbers. It's the latest step for a business aimed at travellers and remote workers. Fonus uses the Spark network in New Zealand. In other news... This week's NZ satellite broadband market analysis has moved to its own page. Download Weekly five years ago Spark announced plans to start its main 5G mobile roll-out in Palmerston North. This low key approach was eight months after rival Vodafone had entered the 5G market with a bang. Spark had to wait for suitable spectrum to become available while Vodafone had its own spectrum ready to go. Enjoy the Download Weekly? Feel free to pass this email on to your colleagues. Have your say. subscribers are able to comment on any newsletter or story on the website. Just scroll to the bottom of the page. Reader emails are also welcome. The Download Weekly is supported by Chorus New Zealand. One NZ plans more MVNOs was first posted at © Scoop Media
Scoop
28-07-2025
- Scoop
Download Weekly: Concern as 3G shutdown nears
Breaking news: Major Starlink outage A message on the Starlink website earlier this morning (Friday July 25, NZ time) told customers the SpaceX low Earth orbit satellite broadband network was "experiencing a service outage". By 8:00AM the Starlink site was also offline, possibly because of the high traffic from customers looking for answers. The problem appears to be worldwide with users from all over reporting problems on sites like Reddit. Down Detector shows the outage was first reported at around 7:00 NZ time. Mixed awareness, lots of worries as carriers prepare to pull 3G plug Research carried out for the Digital Equity Coalition Aotearoa (Deca) shows mixed awareness of the coming 3G mobile network shutdown and high levels of concern among those most likely to be affected. One New Zealand and 2degrees plan to switch off their 3G networks before the end of the year. Spark will keep its 3G service running until March 2026. That means most remaining 3G users have less than six months before their phones stop working. One in five unaware Presenting the results in a webinar, Deca co-chair Vic McLennan said only three percent of survey respondents were 'very aware' of the shutdown. Another 36 percent were 'somewhat aware'. One in five had no awareness at all. This suggests mobile companies have not done a good job informing their customers. 'Everyone seems to be concerned about the shutdown,' McLennan says. The survey found 53 percent of respondents are very concerned. A further 43 percent are somewhat concerned. Not ready A report published in June 2024 by OpenSignal also found few users were ready for the change. At that point, One NZ planned a March 2025 shutdown. Spark was aiming to close its 3G service by the end of this year. Deca says barriers to upgrading are a concern. For many, the issue is financial. While it's possible to buy a basic 4G phone for under $100, there were reports of vulnerable users being sold far more expensive models. In some cases, customers took on debt they could not afford. A lack of digital confidence There are other issues. Some users lack digital confidence and struggle to make the shift. Others worry about losing access to emergency calling. That's also a particular concern for users with older 4G handsets that rely on 3G for voice. Another worry is coverage. In some areas, 3G signals reach further than 4G. The change could leave people in those fringe locations without service On a more positive note, the number of 3G-only users continues to fall. Tuanz CEO Craig Young told the webinar that 3G now accounts for just two percent of Spark's mobile data traffic. Voice calls over 3G have dropped by 85 percent. That suggests a shrinking number of users could be left behind when the service is switched off. Who are most at risk to the 3G shutdown? Deca identifies: Older people with basic phones, less well off, rural communities, Whānau using refurbished or older devices, Medically dependent or vulnerable people. Number porting services to remain regulated In a draft decision published this week, the Commerce Commission says there are no reasonable grounds to investigate number portability services. Local and Mobile Number Portability (LMNP) is what lets you keep your phone number when switching providers. Although they are two different services, the rules are much the same for landline numbers, which are now on the way out, and for mobile numbers. While portability is convenient for phone customers, it is also important for competition as it lowers the barriers that might otherwise stop people switching service providers. Number portability services have been regulated services since 2001. Under the Telecommunications Act, the Commerce Commission has to consider whether to stop regulating these services every five years. The Commission says there is no practical alternative to LMNP. If the rules were removed there would be no mechanism to stop phone companies from either refusing to change numbers or from charging excessive fees to do so. Which means, for now, the Commerce Commission wants to keep the rules in place. Chorus CTO Ewen Powell to step down A Linkedin post from Chorus chief technology officer says he will step down from the role at the end of July. Powell has been in the role for more than 14 years. In his post he says his journey took him from the Post Office to Telecom to Chorus. For now he will be taking a break before looking for a new role. Collins grants Tāwhaki Joint Venture $5.85 million Space minister Judith Collins has granted the Tāwhaki Joint Venture $5.85 million for three years of operational funding. Collins says: 'This funding will help it scale up aerospace operations, attract new customers and strengthen New Zealand's position in the global advanced aviation sector.' In other news... Starlink could be facing a congestion problem — Interest. Why Sky TV bought Three — NZ Herald. How many landlines are in service worldwide in 2025? — Telegeography. The Department of Internal Affairs has new digital identity rules — Reseller News. NCSC and Cert NZ integration now complete The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) says it has now completed integrating CertNZ into its organisation. As part of the change, the Cert brand, the website and the hotline will disappear. In a statement on the now merged website the government agency says the integration 'improves the experience for all New Zealanders reporting cyber security incidents, making it easier for people to know where to go for help'. They are nice words. Yet while the new structure might make sense from a cost point of view, there is no visible evidence of improved experience or ease of use. Download Weekly five years ago Spark upgrades to self healing Optical Transport Network. The telco built a 800 Gbps link connecting Glenfield and Papakura. It was the first self-healing fibre connection of its kind in New Zealand with the ability to automatically restore services after an outage. Enjoy the Download Weekly? Feel free to pass this email on to your colleagues. Have your say subscribers are able to comment on any newsletter or story on the website. Just scroll to the bottom of the page. Reader emails are also welcome. The Download Weekly is supported by Chorus New Zealand. Concern as 3G shutdown nears was first posted at Bill Bennett Freelance journalist. Auckland-based Bill Bennett writes technology and business stories that are directly relevant to New Zealand readers. His emphasis is on telecommunications, but he also covers other aspects of technology and business. You can find his features in the New Zealand Herald and hear him regularly on RNZ Nine to Noon and the NZ Tech Podcast. Bennett's The Download Weekly here. If you want to support his work, you can make a donation to his PressPatron account.
