We have selected Adtran as our future network equipment vendor. This means we will be introducing Adtran equipment to our network to replace the existing Huawei equipment as it reaches the end of its serviceable life.
We intend to make the migration as seamless as possible, with minimal interruption to the way our services are delivered to RSPs and offered to end users.
EAS switches and OLTs
To minimise service disruption and support service continuity, we will be introducing the Adtran equipment in two phases:
Phase 1
Introduce Adtran aggregation switches (EAS)
This will require re-homing of the RSPs’ handover connections from our legacy Huawei EAS onto the Adtran aggregation switches.
Phase 2
Introduce Adtran optical line termination (OLT) equipment
This will re-home the access connections from the legacy Huawei OLTs onto the Adtran OLTs.
As we progress through these phases, there will be some outages to services that we will communicate and manage with your support.
ONTs
We will continue using our legacy Huawei optical network terminals (ONTs) on the new Adtran network. This will minimise disruption for end users by eliminating the need to swap out any equipment at their premises. We will also introduce new Adtran ONTs in the future.
No changes to RSP-facing network interfaces
There will be no change to the way RSPs interact with us on an operational level.
We are not expecting any changes to RSP-facing network interfaces, our customer portals or APIs.
Opportunities for RSPs to test
We will be offering opportunities for RSPs to test your services on our test/lab environment in three stages:
- Stage 1 - RSP LAG and 100 Gbps handover connection testing available from mid-October 2022. If an RSP does not use this functionality, you can still participate in testing to verify the transparency of the new switches with your services.
- Stage 2 - RSP access services (Data and Voice) testing with existing Huawei ONTs available March – April 2023.
- Stage 3 - RSP access services (Data and Voice) testing with Adtran ONTs completed by April 2023.
We will be offering RSPs the opportunity to validate and test that their services work on the new Adtran core network. We do not expect any significant impacts to the way services operate from your current setup.
For RSPs that wish to participate in testing their services on the new Adtran network, we will offer you the opportunity to participate in testing by connecting to our integration test facility (ITF).
As you will be able to appreciate, we want to ensure that the new core network operates correctly. For this reason, we are carefully verifying the Adtran functionality and operation to ensure it aligns with your current services.
Deployment plan
A summary of the deployment plan of the Adtran core network is set out below.
Phase 1
Introduction of Adtran aggregation (EAS) switches
- The Adtran EAS will be sequentially deployed in all the TFF Point of Interconnection (POI) Central Offices (COs) in Whanganui, New Plymouth, Hamilton and Tauranga from February 2023 through to June 2023.
- All handover connections will be migrated from the legacy Huawei aggregation switches onto the Adtran aggregation switches.
- During the migration of the handover connections, there will be a small outage of services while the physical connections are being moved.
Phase 2
Introduction of Adtran access equipment (OLTs)
- Adtran OLTs will be deployed in Whanganui for pilot testing in May 2023.
- The Whanganui pilot is planned for late May to August 2023. This will involve approximately 100 premises.
- Full deployment of Adtran OLTs will commence from August 2023.
- In parallel to the Adtran OLT deployment, RSP services will be migrated from the legacy Huawei OLTs onto the Adtran OLTs.
Project completion
- Aiming for December 2025.
What are the next steps?
We are holding the following workshop so we can communicate to you our strategy, testing, migration and timings.
Workshop
Introducing Adtran network equipment to the TFF network
14 September 2022, 2pm to 4pm
at 11 Ken Browne Drive, Te Rapa, Hamilton
The workshop will also be live streamed for those who want to join the workshop remotely. We will share a link to this session closer to the time.
This workshop will be structured as follows:
- Adtran rollout plan
- TFF APIs
- Question and answer session
What do we need from RSPs right now?
Could you please identify the appropriate representative(s) within your organisation who will attend the workshop (either in person or remotely) and send their name(s), role(s) and email address(es) to manawanui@tuatahifibre.co.nz.
We will then direct specific communications to the right people.
How can you stay informed?
If you would like more information, please contact us by email at manawanui@tuatahifibre.co.nz or get in touch with your Account Manager or Service Delivery Manager.
We are here to help.
Ngā mihi,
The team at Tuatahi First Fibre
