ISP Orcon has launched 1Gbps services on the UFB network in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Tauranga and Christchurch, costing from $135 a month on a two year plan.
Taryn Hamilton, consumer general manager at Orcon, said the company’s existing UFB plans were more than adequate for 90 percent of customers, “but there is an appetite for one gigabit speeds among a select few.”
She said that content Orcon cached locally accounted for more than 50 percent of traffic on its network. “This ensures we can provide what we need to provide to our Gig customers, whether it’s Apple updates, Netflix, YouTube, or other data hungry services.”
Hamilton said Orcon was including an Xbox One S with all Gig plans on a 24 month contract. “We think this is a game changer. … In the Xbox One S you get a device that will make 4K streaming a breeze. At Orcon we like to innovate and change the market, and this offer marks out how serious we are about Gig.”
Smart home systems integrator, Digihome, has just completed the install of what it says is “arguably New Zealand’s most connected home, with more than 75 connected devices” and general manager, Rhys Dilks, says the growing popularity of home automation will drive the need for higher bandwidth broadband services.
“The entire house is connected and it’s completely wireless. They can see who’s at the front door from anywhere in the world, lock their garage from down the street and can let a tradie into their home while they’re on holiday, and even talk to them via the video and audio links in the house.
There are some super cool features like being able to open the blinds, control the lights and activate themed settings, as well as change the music and temperature with gesture or voice control.
