Ericsson New Zealand has taken the lead in hosting a DSL ‘think-tank’ to educate and advise Kiwi internet service providers (ISPs) following the New Zealand Government’s decision to unbundle the local loop.

Dubbed ‘DSL Unleashed’ the one-day session was a chance for Kiwi ISPs to learn from Ericsson's experience in Australia.

Ericsson had huge success when Australia’s local loop was unbundled. It was the first to introduce IP-DSLAMs in 2002, the first in the Australasian market to deploy commercial ADSL2+ equipment, and just recently the first to launch a trial network for VDSL2.

Ericsson’s strategic marketing manager Jeremy Hope says its experience from the local loop unbundling in Australia will be invaluable for Kiwi ISPs, who want to take advantage of the new environment.

"The success of ISPs in Australia like iiNet, Internode and RIA who have partnered with Ericsson speak for themselves. In the six years since the local loop was unbundled in Australia, these operators are now delivering the fastest broadband in the country, offering applications consumers have never seen before."

He says the unbundling of New Zealand’s local loop will also inevitably unleash a raft of new opportunities for local ISPs.

"Once higher bandwidth is in place, it will be common place to have voice over internet (VOIP), personalised and interactive television, on-line gaming and access to video blogsites, which require high speed like Youtube.com - all running simultaneously in the home."

Attending the one-day session was iiNet chief technology officer Greg Bader, Australian telecommunications consultant Dr Paul Brooks, senior IDC telecommunications analyst Chris Loh and Ericsson’s group manager of broadband products Colin Goodwin.