Last Call: Decommissioning NZ's Legacy Telephone Networks
There's something unexpectedly poignant about standing in a telephone exchange surrounded by rows of beige cabinets with red stripes.
I know, I know. To most people, these are just anonymous metal boxes. But to me? They're something else—beautiful artifacts of New Zealand’s rich telecommunications history, each with a different story to tell.
As Entelar Group undertakes the nationwide decommissioning of New Zealand's legacy NEAX telephone systems—the systems that have reliably connected Kiwis for over four decades—it’s a bittersweet moment. While I fully understand this transition's necessity, the old technology has an undeniable elegance. This is technology you can see working with your own eyes—something increasingly rare in our modern world of sealed black boxes and invisible processes.
New Zealand telecommunications didn't begin with NEAX. The journey began in 1881, when calls were connected by actual people—switchboard operators physically inserting phone plugs into the right sockets at telephone exchanges.
The first automated telephone systems using rotary technology were brought in in 1919. These were followed by step-by-step exchanges—an innovation originally developed by Almon Strowger in 1878—and then crossbar systems, introduced between 1976 and 1978, replacing aging equipment and enabling subscriber trunk dialing.
Hidden Marvels
Then came the revolution of computer-based Stored Program Control (SPC) systems in the 1980s. This is where our NEAX story begins. As part of Telecom New Zealand's Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) backbone, the NEC NEAX61 series digital telephone exchanges became the workhorses of the country’s communications infrastructure, supplying voice and data access through Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDN) to nearly two million users.
It’s highly reliable technology. The first NEAX equipment installation in New Zealand—Petone in 1981—has remained in continuous service and is still connecting New Zealanders today.
It’s also got an aesthetic that I love. These NEAX systems look like they've been plucked straight from the set of 2001: A Space Odyssey, with their imposing cabinets, blinking lights, and yes—actual reel-to-reel tape drives still performing critical backup operations.
Not only are they extraordinarily reliable; they’re undeniably cool, too
When I take visitors through these exchanges, they're amazed. Each cabinet represents not just a piece of infrastructure but a philosophy of design from an era when engineers expected their creations to function reliably for decades, not just until the next upgrade cycle. It's been running for 40 years—even as the way people use telecommunication services has evolved.
Last Guardians
The engineers who maintain this equipment are similarly valuable and unique. Many of them are at or beyond retirement age but continue working because this technology has been a lifelong passion. It's their life, their hobby, their fun.
These specialists possess irreplaceable knowledge accumulated over decades. They know every quirk and peculiarity of systems that were installed when many of today's IT professionals weren't even born.
When a fault occurs in a legacy system, these engineers know precisely which cabinet to approach and which components to check, having developed an almost intuitive understanding of the equipment.
It’s an expertise that can't be quickly taught, and we're actively working to capture the knowledge of the engineers before it’s gone for good.
But it is time for change. In some locations we’re maintaining entire NEAX exchanges for just a single customer. (These ‘grandfathered’ services were guaranteed to continue even as technology evolved, and we've honoured that promise regardless of cost or complexity.)
It's an extreme example of our dedication to our service promises—and the unsustainability of maintaining legacy infrastructure indefinitely. Many of the parts we need simply aren't being manufactured anymore, and these legacy systems do consume extraordinary amounts of power compared to modern MSAN units.
Reimagining Telcommunications in Numbers
A timeline of 3-5 years has been established to completely phase out these legacy systems across New Zealand, representing the final chapter for technology that has served reliably since the early 1980s.
The reduction in physical infrastructure is staggering—we're talking about entire walls of connection frames with thousands of individual wire pairs being replaced by compact fibre connections. Of course, we're carefully processing all decommissioned equipment to recover as much as possible. The frames contain substantial amounts of iron and steel, while the circuit boards yield precious metals, including gold and silver. Even the cabling infrastructure represents significant quantities of recyclable copper.
While the upgrade occurs, our highest priority remains uninterrupted service for end users. The transition process involves meticulous preparation to ensure that when customers pick up their phones during the switchover period, they notice nothing but improved reliability.
And though it's a big job, it will be worth it. This transformation isn't just an upgrade, it's a fundamental reimagining of how New Zealand's telecommunications infrastructure functions. It will strengthen New Zealand's digital backbone significantly and bring increased resilience to our communications infrastructure.
We're building a more adaptable, more resilient, more efficient foundation for New Zealand's connected future.
But we’re also marking the end of an era. Eventually, in exchange facilities across New Zealand, the steady hum of NEAX equipment will fall silent. When it does, we'll have completed an essential modernisation project, building the foundation for our country's digital future.
But it’s also the closing of a significant chapter, and I, for one, will miss those blinking lights and the history they have come to represent.
If you're interested in seeing this technology first-hand before it's decommissioned, we welcome visitors, particularly engineering students and early-career professionals. There's valuable knowledge to be gained from understanding how these networks were built and maintained and we’re excited to share. Contact me at andy.bateman@entelargroup.co.nz to find out more.
Andy Bateman leads delivery operations at Entelar Group, overseeing complex telecommunications infrastructure projects throughout New Zealand. With extensive experience in network modernisation, Andy brings a unique perspective that values both cutting-edge innovation and the rich heritage of New Zealand's telecommunications history.
To hear more from Andy - check out the recent podcast:
