Auckland’s rush hour motorists crossing the Harbour Bridge will have been oblivious to Vector’s fibre specialists working below to attach new fibre ducting across the harbour.

 

To assist Auckland Harbour Bridge contractors with ongoing maintenance, Vector has worked with NZ Transport Authority and Watercare to relocate and replace existing fibre cables.

 

Vector CEO Simon Mackenzie says the cables connect Vector’s fibre nodes in the Auckland CBD to those on the North Shore.

 

“This is vital infrastructure for Auckland as we move to the new Auckland Council. We have customers who use these cables to link their Auckland offices, cell sites and sub-stations to the North Shore so it has been a good opportunity to future-proof this important fibre connection,” says Mr Mackenzie.

 

“This is the type of maintenance our fibre experts carry out on our network throughout Auckland and Wellington every day and we have worked closely with the relevant authorities and our customers to ensure this was a seamless process.”

 

Mr Mackenzie says Vector’s fibre customers on both sides of the harbour now have reinforced fibre network connectivity due to the Harbour Bridge work and Vector’s ongoing investment in a substantial back-up fibre ring that loops around Auckland – from North to West, South and East, and throughout the CBD.

 

The loop ensures reliability of a Vector’s core fibre network for its Auckland customers and allows for network traffic (customer data) to be sent in another direction in case of network interference.

 

The cable relocation has been planned in two stages. The first was to install a new duct and two new fibre cables to which customers were moved.

 

Once the new ducting was in place, Vector took just three hours to blow the new fibre through the tubing using its cutting edge air-blown fibre technology. Connecting, or splicing, the fibre at each end of the bridge was completed over two nights.

 

Stage two will involve installation of a second duct and cable on the bridge to maintain diversity. The cutover, or splicing, will be completed to fit in with further bridge maintenance, says Mr Mackenzie.