When Andrew “Andy” Dollery walked into the Post Office lines depot as a 16 year old apprentice in 1976, he had no idea he was stepping into a career that would span five decades, reshape parts of New Zealand’s fibre landscape, and eventually lead to the creation of one of the country’s most respected specialist telecommunications companies.

Back then, the industry looked nothing like it does today. “Once upon a time people had a telephone,” Andy says. “Even in 1976 that telephone could have been a wooden box with a crank handle on the side connected to a party line shared by up to ten others.” It’s a reminder of just how far the sector has travelled — from wooden wall phones and analogue carrier systems to 400gigabit IP networks and the neartotal dominance of fibre.

But Andy’s story isn’t just about technology. It’s about people, culture, grit, and the kind of practical ingenuity that built New Zealand’s telecommunications backbone long before fibre became a household word.

At TelcoSpec, Health, Safety, Environment and Compliance (HSEC) is a cornerstone of our business. Working in high-risk environments means safety is not optional, it’s integral to every decision we make.

We take a proactive approach to managing risk, encourage open safety conversations, and are constantly seeking new ways to improve through technology and engagement.

TelcoSpec is committed to protecting our people, our clients, our partners, and our communities, because safety isn’t just part of our work; it defines us.

New Zealand is entering a new phase of national fibre expansion, and the new demands of increasing AI workloads and digital inclusion are set to push existing networks far beyond their original design parameters.

To manage the new demands, advanced fibre optic testing will start to become less of a peripheral function and more of a mission-critical safeguard for performance and resilience.

Field teams using the latest in optical testing technology and techniques can identify attenuation leakage and degradation issues, allowing for proactive repairs, headroom gain, and helping to justify replacements and upgrades. As we move into the future for New Zealand’s fibre optic infrastructure, advanced optical testing and in detailed analysis isn’t just an option, it’s a strategy.

Like all infrastructure, fibre optic networks degrade over time. Cables are vulnerable to wear and tear, physical damage, and signal degradation. Replacing them can be very expensive and disruptive.

Even small issues can become big problems if they’re not dealt with soon enough. Regular testing and monitoring can identify risks early, before they turn into major liabilities.

Routine optical health checks employing the latest in optical testing technology to allow you detect and deal with issues as they arise, avoiding emergency repairs and costly replacements.

Find out how optical health checks can extend the life of your fibre network today.