2degrees brings fibre to the desk

For the first time in NZ, 2degrees has brought fibre to the desk as part of a GPON installation for Environment Canterbury’s brand new Christchurch offices, which opened today.

Today Prime Minister John Key officially opened the doors to Environment Canterbury’s new state of the art building in the Christchurch CBD which has been purpose built following the 2011 earthquake.

The office, which will house 450 employees, has been designed to be cleaner and greener than its predecessor.

As part of its environmental design, Environment Canterbury opted to cable the building with fibre optic cable for its LAN network rather than copper, with equipment supplied by Nokia.

With less impact on the environment, lower install costs, greater flexibility and the security of future proofing, the fibre-based network will allow Environment Canterbury to grow and expand with future technologies available to it.

Environment Canterbury’s Director of Finance and Corporate Services, Miles McConway, said of the installation:

“Fibre to the desk is common overseas but not in NZ. Despite the perception it’s more expensive to manage and run, it’s actually less expensive and the additional benefits are tangible and clear. Using fibre gives us the flexibility to reconfigure desks, it’s more environmentally friendly, cheaper and takes up less physical space.”

“The install was also fast – it’s basically a ‘plug and play’ operation. We’re really pleased with the outcome.”

The solution also includes wireless which will support Environment Canterbury’s new paperless approach – allowing connectivity anywhere in the building.

2degrees Chief Fixed Officer, Mark Petrie says, “We’re pleased Environment Canterbury has been so future-focused and has seized the opportunity to try something innovative that delivers so much benefit. Fibre to the desk is the way of the future - not just for large corporates and existing buildings, but for all new builds in NZ as well.

“The great thing is each connection point can be made secure from every other and given it reduces the need for cooling space, it is a great option for multi-tenanted greenfield buildings where every square meter counts. We’re proud to be one of the first to offer this innovative technology to our customers for a corporate LAN network.”