Christchurch’s local fibre company, Enable, has launched a 1Gbps downstream, 500Mbps upstream wholesale residential fibre broadband service across its coverage area in Christchurch and surrounding towns.

Enable said demand for its fibre broadband had increased dramatically and that more people were opting for its higher bandwidth services. It said the majority of residential customers were now ordering services with downstream bandwidths of 100Mbps or 200Mbps, rather than the base-level 30Mbps.

Enable CEO, Steve Fuller, said these behaviours demonstrated the growing consumer need for faster broadband as they people connect more devices, turn to more online entertainment options and expect online video to be ultra-high definition.

He said Enable would work with retail service providers to support them to launch their new services to homes in Christchurch, Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Woodend, Rolleston and Lincoln as soon as possible.

Both Spark and My Republic were quick to announce plans for 1Gbps retail services. My Republic said its service would be available to consumers in Whangarei, Hamilton, Christchurch and seven regional centres from October.

MyRepublic MD, Vaughan Baker, said the company would automatically upgrade its 200Mbps customers in Whangarei, Hamilton and Christchurch to a 1Gbps plan no additional cost as soon the service becomes available, and that new customers who sign up to its 200Mbps service in those centres ahead of October would be upgraded at no charge as soon as the 1Gbps service goes live.

Spark did not give a definite launch date saying that, once initial testing is complete, it intends to run a limited customer trial, commencing in a few weeks’ time, to confirm that the high speed connection delivers the anticipated speeds in customer homes and businesses, ahead of a commercial release “in the future”.