Q1 FY26 Connections Update

Chorus Limited
Level 10, 1 Willis Street
P O Box 632
Wellington
New Zealand

Email: company.secretary@chorus.co.nz


STOCK EXCHANGE ANNOUNCEMENT

15 October 2025

Q1 FY26 Connections Update

Chorus today released its connections update for the Q1 period to 30 September 2025.

Data demand remains strong

Strong demand in data continued during the quarter with highest average monthly usage
of 686 gigabytes (GB) in August. Fibre usage in September dipped slightly, as it has done
in other years, and averaged 668GB. This compared to 671GB in June which included
the Fortnite gaming update on 8 June. Year on year, the monthly average data usage on
fibre for September was up 10%.

We observed an increase in fibre network traffic from live sport streaming, for example,
traffic levels during the All Blacks games in August were 20% higher than usual.

Steady fibre connection growth

Total fibre connections were 1,122,000 at end September and increased by
approximately 7,000 lines in the quarter. This growth more than offset a decline of
approximately 4,000 copper lines in Chorus’ fibre areas.

Fibre uptake in UFB2 rollout areas, completed between 2018 and the end of 2022, rose
from 62% to 63%. Fibre uptake across Chorus’ wider fibre network footprint, excluding
other local fibre company areas, lifted by 0.1% to 72.2%.

During the quarter, another 9,000 addresses were passed by fibre. This included
approximately 5,000 addresses covered by Chorus’ network extension project for existing
homes in smaller communities. Pleasingly, this fibre extension build is now complete and
handed over, with more than 9,000 addresses passed, of which approximately 2,300
have already connected.

Copper retirement in Chorus fibre areas by mid-2026

Chorus’ total fixed line connections reduced by 7,000 lines, consistent with the trend in
the prior quarter. This continued to reflect the combination of reducing demand for
copper connections, partly offset by growth in fibre connections.

Another 14,000 copper lines disconnected in the quarter, leaving about 78,000 in service
nationwide at the end of September. Just 9,000 of these lines remain in service in
Chorus’ fibre areas, with copper services in these areas on track to be retired by mid-
2026.

In areas where fibre is not available, Chorus saw about 7,000 copper customers choose
to migrate to alternative network options in the quarter. This leaves approximately
61,000 copper lines outside of the existing fibre footprint.

As part of the copper network retirement by 2030, Chorus is committed to a clear,
consumer-centric retirement process that supports the transition of customers still on
copper to modern services.


Authorised by:

Mark Aue
Chief Executive Officer

ENDS


For further information:

Megan Heffield
Media and Content Manager
Phone +64 22 058 2619
Email: megan.heffield@chorus.co.nz

Aleida White
Head of Investor Relations
Mobile: +64 21 155 8837
Email: Aleida.White@chorus.co.nz

---

Quarterly Connections Report Q1FY26
Connections
Update
Q1 FY26
1

Quarterly Connections Report Q1FY26
Q1 FY26 overview
2
FIBRE CONNECTIONS: 1,122,000
Increased 7k (Q4 FY25: +8k) to 1,122,000(including non-
address points and LFC areas)
•in Chorus fibre areas, a 7k increase in fibre broadband connections
more than offset a 4k reduction in copper lines
•100/20Mbps plan connections grew by net 14k connections with 63%
of growth from new and offnet addresses
•residential connections of 1Gbps and above stable with Hyperfibre
connections reaching ~7k
FIXED LINE CONNECTIONS*: 1,200,000
Decline in copper more than offset fibre connections; total down
7k vs Q4 (Q4 vs Q3: -7k) to 1,200,000
•copper broadband connections declined by 10k (Q4: -10k) and
copper voice connections declined 4k (Q4: -5k)
•copper lines in non-fibre areas declined by 7k (Q4: -7k) with 61k
remaining
FIBRE FOOTPRINT: 1,541,000
Now covers 1,541,000 addresses (excluding LFC areas)
•fibre passed another 9k addresses in Q1 (Q4: +7k),
•fibre passed included fibre to 5k addresses in smaller communities,
Chorus’ fibre extension build complete and handed over: ~9k
premises, of which ~2.3k already connected
•uptake in UFB2 areas lifted from 62% to 63%
•overall fibre uptake grew 0.1% to 72.2% of passed addresses in Q1
(Q4: +0.1%)
AVERAGE MONTHLY DATA USAGE: 668GB
Average fibre usage 668GB in Sep’25 vs 671GB in Jun’25 which
included the Fortnite gaming update in Jun’25:
•monthly average data usage on fibre up 10% year on year (Sep’24:
609GB)
•highest monthly average data usage of 686GB in Aug’25 with
September down due to normal seasonality
*includes ~2,000 broadband connections Chorus is subsidising for lower socio-economic households

Quarterly Connections Report Q1FY26
Fibre connections uplift continues, Copper now <8% of Chorus connections
3
30 Jun 202430 Sep 202431 Dec 202431 Mar 202530 Jun 202530 Sep 2025
Variance
30 Sep 2025
vs 30 Jun 2025
Baseband copper
(no broadband)
45,00040,00034,00029,00024,000
20,000(4,000)
Copper ADSL (includes
naked)
56,00049,00044,00039,00034,000
29,000(5,000)
VDSL
(includes naked)
55,00049,00044,00039,00034,000
29,000(5,000)
Data services (copper)1,0001,0001,000NMNM
NM-
Total copper
157,000139,000123,000107,00092,000
78,000(14,000)
Fibre broadband (GPON)1,074,0001,083,0001,089,0001,098,0001,106,000
1,113,0007,000
Fibre premium (P2P)10,0009,0009,0009,0009,000
9,000-
Total Fibre1,084,0001,092,0001,098,0001,107,0001,115,000
1,122,0007,000
Total connections*1,241,0001,231,0001,221,0001,214,0001,207,000
1,200,000(7,000)
*includes ~2,000 broadband connections Chorus is subsidising for lower socio-economic households

Quarterly Connections Report Q1FY26
Fibre uptake reaches 72.2%
4
* based on independent address data and Chorus network data for addresses passed by fibre; excludes Chorus fibre in Local Fibre Company (LFC) areas
** includes ~6k fibre premium connections to addresses; excludes smart location (GPON) connections and connections in LFC areas
*** not active on 30 September
71.3
71.4
71.5
71.6
71.7
71.8
71.9
72
72.1
72.2
72.3
0
250,000
500,000
750,000
1,000,000
1,250,000
1,500,000
30-Sep-2431-Dec-2431-Mar-2530-Jun-2530-Sep-25
Fibre connectionsInactive fibre sockets***
Addresses passedFibre uptake (%)
FIBRE UPTAKE IN CHORUS FIBRE AREA
(% ADDRESSES PASSED)
Addresses
passed
%
uptake
72.2% fibre uptake across 1,541,000 passed
addresses*
•uptake grew +0.1% in Q1
•+7k fibre connections to addresses**
•+9k addresses passed in Q1, including 5k
addresses as part of Chorus’ fibre expansion
programme to smaller communities
•uptake in UFB2 areas lifted from 62% to 63%
•12k installations in Q1 (Q4:13k)
•244k inactive fibre sockets (Q4: 240k)

Quarterly Connections Report Q1FY26
Fibre uptake by city
5
Auckland
steady at
76.3%
Wellington
+0.1 to
71.0%
Dunedin
-0.1 to
76.4%
UPTAKE, BY URBAN AREA, FOR FIBRE PASSED ADDRESSES
Note: uptake is measured across “urban areas” as defined by Statistics NZ, rather than the original UFB rollout areas
•Auckland steady at 76.3% with address growth
outpacing connection growth
•Wellington uptake grew 0.1% to 71.0%
•Dunedin uptake down 0.1% to 76.4% with
address growth outpacing connection growth

Quarterly Connections Report Q1FY26
Stable activity following fibre ‘boost’
6
•100/20Mbps plan grew by14k to 102k in Q1FY26. Majority of growth from new/offnet and ~1/3 from higher speed plans
•demand for 1Gbps+ stable; 25% of residential connections on 1Gbps or faster with ~7k on Hyperfibre plans
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
Sep-24Dec-24Mar-25Jun-25Sep-25
RESIDENTIAL
2Gbps+1Gbps500Mbps300Mbps
200Mbps100Mbps<100MbpsVoice
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
Sep-24Dec-24Mar-25Jun-25Sep-25
BUSINESS
2Gbps+1Gbps500Mbps300Mbps
200Mbps100Mbps<100MbpsVoice
500Mbps
59%
1Gbps+
25%
Note: Residential 50Mbps & 300Mbps plans were boosted to 100Mbps & 500Mbps respectively in
mid-June-25
500Mbps
61%
1Gbps+
32%

Quarterly Connections Report Q1FY26
Connection changes by zone*
7
Other fibre
company
(LFC) zone
Copper lines (no broadband)4,000Copper connections are declining
as Chorus retires its copper
network and customers migrate
to Local Fibre Company and fixed
wireless networks.
Copper broadband lines4,000
Fibre broadband lines (GPON)4,000
TOTAL12,000
Non-fibre
addresses
(i.e.
Chorus
fibre not
available)
Copper lines (no broadband)11,000Ongoing decline in copper
connections as customers migrate
to alternative mobile/fixed
wireless/satellite networks.
Copper broadband lines50,000
TOTAL61,000
Chorus
fibre zone
Copper lines (no broadband)5,000Covers all addresses outside of
LFC UFB rollout zone where
Chorus fibre is available. Fibre
footprint is growing as a result of
network expansion and new
property development. Copper
connections are reducing as
Chorus retires its copper network.
Copper broadband lines4,000
Fibre broadband lines (GPON)1,106,000
TOTAL1,115,000
-2
-2
-4
-3
-4
-1
-2
-1
-2
-1
-1
-1
-1
-1
-2
-4
-5
-4
-6
-6
-5
-4
-4
-5
-2
-1
-1
-2
-2
7
8
8
6
9
1
0
-15-5515
Q1 FY26
Q4 FY25
Q3 FY25
Q2 FY25
Q1 FY25
Q1 FY26
Q4 FY25
Q3 FY25
Q2 FY25
Q1 FY25
Q1 FY26
Q4 FY25
Q3 FY25
Q2 FY25
Q1 FY25
Copper line onlyCopper broadbandFibre broadband
* Indicative as at 30 Sep, excludes ~12k fibre premium and smart location connections
QUARTERLY CHANGE (‘000s) BY ZONE

Quarterly Connections Report Q1FY26
78k total copper lines remaining; 78% outside fibre footprint
8
Chorus’ fibre zone:
•9k copper lines in service, with full withdrawal expected
by mid-2026
Non-fibre zones:
•61k copper lines remaining
•Chorus’ fibre extension build complete and handed
over: ~9k premises, of which ~2.3k already connected
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Copper voiceCopper broadband
Chorus fibre
zone
LFC fibre zoneNon fibre zone
Copper connections able to be withdrawn with
6 months’ notice where fibre is available
Connections
(‘000)

Quarterly Connections Report Q1FY26
Monthly data usage on fibre up 10% year on year
9
312
668
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Sep-20Sep-21Sep-22Sep-23Sep-24Sep-25
CopperFibre
MONTHLY AVERAGE DATA USAGE PER CONNECTION
(GIGABYTES)
•monthly average data usage on fibre 668 gigabytes (GB) in Sep’25
vs 671GB in Jun’25; up 10% year on year (Sep’24: 609GB)
•highest monthly average data usage of 686GB in Aug’25
•increase in fibre network traffic from live sport streaming, eg up
20% during All Blacks games in August
•the proportion of fibre connections using more than 1 terabyte of
data was ~18% vs ~19% in Jun’25
•copper usage was 312GB (Jun’25: 312GB)
AVERAGE THROUGHPUT IN SEPTEMBER (2020-2025) BY TIME
OF DAY