We would like to inform you at a high level of our plans for the ongoing provision of voice-only services from Chorus CMAR and Country Set systems.

CMAR is a local access radio-based system designed primarily for use in remote low density rural situations. Country Sets operate alongside some CMAR systems and extend to individual customers via radio. The first systems were installed over 50 years ago.  

The purpose of these CMAR and Country Set systems is to provide voice only service. They are used to support instances of the Baseband service (specifically, the Baseband Remote variant). There is no broadband capability. The technology supporting these systems is failing, we haven’t been able to source parts for some systems for years relying on the repurposing of decommissioned equipment, and the expertise able to service them is also diminishing. Very few service providers take instances of Baseband supported by CMAR/CS, and we will contact directly any who are impacted.

The customer experience is generally poor, with fault rates approximately twice that of a standard copper customer.  

To address this, working directly with affected service providers in early 2024, we intend to engage with the remaining (around 2,200) CMAR/CS customers and transition them to an alternative solution by the end of 2025. This will affect the availability of the Baseband service.

Contact

If you have anything further that you’d like to know about this planned programme of work, please contact your account manager.