Visionstream is the telecommunications division of Ventia and is one of Australasia's largest infrastructure services companies.
Today Chorus has announced that Visionstream will be taking over fibre installations in areas that are currently being serviced by Downer.
These areas include the Hutt Valley, Masterton, Napier, Hastings and Gisborne in the North Island and Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru, Queenstown, Invercargill, Dunedin in the South Island.
For Downer, the decision was made as the company wants to instead focus on other aspects of its relationship with Chorus, which includes the copper network and the communal UFB build.
While Chorus expects that some Downer technicians may be affected, the demand for fibre is increasing significantly and technicians may have opportunities either to move to Visionstream - which will be expanding - or to remain with Downer and continue to work on the copper network.
Nick Woodward, general manager for Customer Services at Chorus, says the company has been open to the need to improve the experience for its customers.
"Visionstream's operating model has proven to be very effective in attracting new crews and in getting through the most jobs in a day. Visionstream has already successfully taken over in Wellington, Porirua and Manawatu, and we have seen significant improvements in performance in those areas," he explains.
"Chorus, Visionstream and Downer are all committed to a smooth transition with the minimum of disruption for our technicians.
Visionstream will now cover around 80% of the areas of UFB that Chorus is responsible for, with the rest being held by Broadspectrum and UCG.
