Fibre Installation: Want to install but currently have tenants in the property

[srv]

I'm currently living overseas and have rented out our family home. (CHCH)

I have just received a flyer with my last rates saying that Fibre is available now and free installs are going until the end of the year.

It looks like the current process is you have to sign up to a plan with a retailer to get it installed.

Anyone got any ideas on how to get this done? Offer to pay the 1st month or something like that for the tenants to get it put in?

Also anyone know what the potential install fee will be in the future? In Australia it's ridiculous.

[jimO]

i suspect instillation will always be free, ots the only carrot they have to get you to sign up, incidentally i didnt find fibre any quicker than the old broadband

[Nice]

Most tenants are pretty keen to have it connected, maybe try talking to them?

[hawkeye]

Our new fibre is not nearly as good as the previous setup.

LAJ

[SimonW]

A typical standard fibre installation job costs the Local Fibre Company (Chorus, Enable, UFF or Northpower in their respective areas) around $2000 or more. At the moment, that cost is absorbed by these network providers and central government (Crown Fibre Holdings). Each retailer (Spark, Vodafone etc) also pays a connection fee to the network operator (which is generally not passed on to the customer, but is recovered over the term of their fibre contract).

This will not always be the case - at some point in the future the 100% subsidy for "standard installations" will end, and consumers will have to start paying for the installation cost, either partially or in full. Having said that, neither the crown nor any of the network operators (Chorus etc) have publicly stated when that is likely to be as far as I am aware.

Enable is owned by Christchurch City Council - hence why Enable can advertise to CCC ratepayers via their rates bill. I work in the industry for one of the big players here in Christchurch, specifically in the field of fibre provisioning, and I have heard nothing about the intention to end installation subsidies yet. If a network operator really was planning to end install subsidies as early as the end of this year, I definitely would have heard about it by now. I will engage with Enable to get clarification on this today, and will update this post when I get a response from them.

It's also important to note that only addresses eligible for "standard connection" get free installation at present - if the LFC determines your address is non-standard, then additional costs will apply anyway. Non-standard installations can cost many thousands of dollars - I have personally seen quotes as high as $250,000 for businesses a long way from the network who are happy to pay to get fibre speeds.
In Enable's area, non-standard is generally when the house is more than 15 metres from the Enable cabling on the street.

Oh and you are correct - only the resident can apply for service, in this case your tenant. You cannot force your tenant to switch from copper to fibre. All you can really do is have a chat with them and let them know you are happy for them to upgrade. A lot of tenants are fearful that their landlord will say no due to the work involved so letting your tenants know that you want them to switch to fibre is a great first step. Fibre based services are generally the same price as copper services these days, so generally speaking there is no downside to your tenant making the switch - if anything, they will get faster internet speeds for the same or similar price they pay now. Many retailers also offer incentives for upgrading to fibre (eg first 3 months free or a joining credit).

To the people who have posted stating that they don't find fibre any faster - there are a variety of reasons for this:
WiFi: If you are on a 100Mbps fibre plan, you will always get between 90-100Mbps when your computer/laptop etc is plugged into your router via a Cat 5e/6 LAN cable. That is fact. However if you are connected via WiFi, you can expect your speed to be much reduced (as much as 50% or more). This is made worse if your laptop etc is more than a few years old. WiFi technology (and speed) is yet to catch up with the fibre revolution! If you want to watch superfast Netflix on your 4k HD TV, please plug the TV into your router using a LAN cable for the best results as WiFi doesn't cut it, no matter how much your TV cost.
Old Laptops/computers on WiFi: If you have multiple WiFi devices connected, these will only work to the standard of the slowest connected device. Wireless G technology is far slower than Wireless N. If a household has a flash new Wireless N laptop in the lounge, but the kids are using the 10 year old Wireless G laptop in their bedroom, the entire house (including your flash new Apple iPhone) will get the slower Wireless G speed.
LAN Cable: If you are getting slow speeds through the LAN cable, it's most likely the cable itself. Older LAN cables do not have the bandwidth to support fibre speeds. Have a look at the plug on the end of the cable. You should see 8 tiny wires in it (brown, green, blue, orange and 4 x white). If you only see 4 wires, you are using an old substandard cable that is not Cat 5e/6 compliant and therefore not capable of relaying fibre speeds. Many people use their old cabling when they get fibre installed as it is easier than crawling under their computer desk to change the cables. Retailers provide new cables with their fibre routers - use them!
The Internet: You can have a 1000Mbps super fast connection to the internet, but if the owner of the website you are trying to visit uses a server hosted over ADSL, you will only get a response from that website at ADSL speeds. Think of it as driving your Porche on a 10 lane highway leading to a shopping centre which only has a single lane entrance to the carpark - you come to a crawl right at the end of the journey as everyone tries to enter the carpark at the same time.

[Viking]

Thanks for that info. Enlightening. some changes to be made ASAP.

[bolproman]

simply ask tenant to contact their service provider. Chorus then come round and make a plan that is submitted for approval. if you're happy approve and its free.