Chorus Ltd (ASX:CNU) will start a proof of concept trial using its fibre network to provide a direct broadcasting service to consumers’ homes in New Zealand.
The live 4K broadcasting service over fibre will run in parallel to any broadband service also provided over the fibre, using a second port on the Optical Network Terminal installed in homes.
Guaranteed capacity
A strength of the proposed service is that it can provide guaranteed capacity ensuring major events such as sports can be broadcast to all viewers live and concurrently in 4K or even 8K.
Chorus anticipates the service will be of interest to local broadcasters looking for a way to provide content to viewers without requiring an ISP partner.
It will also be of interest to those developing an over the top application that runs over the public internet and therefore makes quality control more challenging.
Fibre network “major national asset”
Chorus CEO Kate McKenzie said: “New Zealand’s fibre network is a major national asset, and by 2022 will have greater coverage of the population than terrestrial broadcasting.
“Without this proposed service, local broadcasters will need to partner with major ISPs while facing competition from massive overseas content companies, and this dynamic could put the ability to tell local stories and produce local content at risk.”