185,000 households could be told to move off copper phone lines any time from March

Wednesday, 20 May 2020

The importance of back-up in a power cut and a lack of support for some older equipment such as fax machines and older medical alarms are the main issues copper network customers need to be aware of in a move to UFB.

Network company Chorus could start removing copper phone and broadband services from streets where ultrafast broadband is available from March next year, under a Commerce Commission proposal.

The commission expects to finalise the rules that Chorus would need to follow when removing its copper lines from towns and cities that were covered by the first and largest stage of the UFB roll-out by September.

About 185,000 homes in those areas still use a copper phone or broadband service.

Under a draft proposal published on Wednesday, Chorus would need to give those customers six months' notice that they would need to switch to an alternative network.

Chorus spokesman Steve Pettigrew confirmed that meant that no-one could be forced off copper before March.

The commission said consumers would need to be aware ahead of any withdrawal of copper services that UFB-based home phones would not work in the event of a power outage unless their UFB equipment had battery back-up.

Chorus says the closure of copper services won't be a 'big bang' and it may not begin next year, even if that is allowed.

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That meant households would need a mobile phone — or battery backup — to be able to make emergency calls during a power cut.

Chorus will continue to invest in the copper network where fibre services aren't available, spokesman Steve Pettigrew says.

That was currently also already the case for the majority of copper-network customers who used cordless phones, the watchdog noted.

Chorus will need to advise copper-network customers of those power issues and also that some equipment such as fax machines and some medical alarms might not work with fibre services, before turning off their copper service, under the proposed code.

The watchdog was working on a separate code to ensure vulnerable consumers had an appropriate means of contacting 111 in a power cut, it said.

Pettigrew said closing Chorus' copper network would take many years and Chorus had not decided whether to start the process next year, even assuming that was allowed.

'There will be no indiscriminate 'switch-off' put it that way,' he said.

'It won't be a 'big bang' like the switch from analog to digital TV.'

Chorus would go slowly and carefully and 'make sure no-one was left behind', especially in light of the importance of telecommunications services to people in the wake of Covid-19, Pettigrew said.

Chorus would continue to invest in its copper network in areas where UFB was not available, he said.

Customers shouldn't need to pay more for their phone or broadband service as a result of a forced migration to UFB.

UFB phone and broadband plans are priced similarly to copper services but are faster and generally more reliable.

Chorus will be required to offer to connect customers to UFB free-of-charge before cutting them off from copper.

Chorus is required to provide a basic phone service over the UFB network to cater to customers who want a phone line, but who don't want to pay for broadband.

Pettigrew said relatively few internet providers promoted that service, but it was available anywhere that UFB was available, at a similar price to a copper voice line.