Broadband Internet Access

[fevziye99]

I was searching around the websites of the local Internet Service Providers and it seems broadband Internet is limited (in speeds), traffic (as to how much you can use) and price.

I'm used to 4MB of broadband for which I pay US$80/month (no cap, unlimited usage).

Perhaps, I'm just reading it all wrong, but it seems no ISP offers 2MB or 4MB unlimited Internet access? Can that be right?

Also, I looked at the general 'connectivity' options, they too seemed to be quite limited.

It is imperative for myself and my OH to have access to high-speed Internet access (certainly nothing below 1MB).

Your comments / thought would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

[Cliff]

There is no unlimited bandwidth here on Broadband plan in New Zealand.

Cheers.

Cliff

[Taffy]

Hi,

Most broadband plans above the basic plans are 'fast as your line can go'. At home we get 3.5mb as we're rural, in my office it's 7.5mb. Telecom launched an uncapped service for a while called Go Large, but it was more than the network could handle so was suspended soon after launch. 24mb internet is being rolled out across Auckland at the moment on the ADSL2+ service, then working it's way south to Hamilton and the rest of the country. I expect once all the new ADSL2+ equipment is rolled out then the possibility of an uncapped service will come back again. Fibre optic services are also becoming a part of the major cities, but as yet are still very expensive to be connected to.

The good thing about NZ being a small country is rapid rollout of new services

[ebianca]

My OH was very dissapointed that there were no uncapped service but has managed to find a plan that doesn't cost a fortune. He is paying $60 a month for the max package which gives him 5gb at full bandwidth which where we are is 10mb and then each extra gb after the allowanca is charged at $1.

[MotherBear]

If you do a search on the forum for 'broadband' it should bring up any previous threads on the subject, as it is quite a popular topic. I have recently posted a few news articles about NZ's efforts at bringing in a better broadband service, so you might want to follow these to see what is, hopefully, coming in the future.

[fevziye99]

@Taffy: Thanks for the detailed explanation.

Well, it seems NZ's Broadband service providers do offer the speeds, but only with metered traffic.

I was reading some statistics on NZ's internet, almost 25.0% of the population is wired - which is nice to know, and also the number of websites per 1000 people is also one of the highest in world.

[MotherBear]

Telecom and Vodafone broadband worst - Commission (+report)
5:00AM Monday June 16, 2008
By Eloise Gibson

Two of NZ's biggest broadband providers are the worst performers, says the Commerce Commission.

A report issued yesterday ranked Telecom, Vodafone and smaller company Slingshot the worst performers.

The three companies scored average to below average in tests, including time taken to connect to the internet, download speeds and the time taken to send and receive emails.

By contrast, industry minnows such as MaxNet, Snap and Compass provided good services in their target areas, while the country's second-biggest provider, TelstraClear, rated best in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

In Hamilton and Dunedin, Orcon shared the top spot with TelstraClear.

More here.

[kiwiguy]

I use xnet.co.nz you set your own cap and only pay up to what you use
20GB per month is about $50.00 if you don't use it you only pay for what you used for a little more you can get VOIP and a local number and just plug your phone into the router and local calls are free all others are 5 cents per minute to most countries and a second phone line is $7.50 per month

[Cliff]

I have vodafone, what used to be ihug. They have good international (out of N) pipes. Telecom has the biggest pipes but also the most users. They are oversubscribed.

There is local connect speed and an international access time. I have a financial data feed up for hours 5 days of the week and use intentional VOIP telephone a lot. You nee to compare what kind of access you need, niot just what local connect Speed is. Because most physical connections are via Telecom's copper or local loop. So thee only difference is when you get into your ISp's network.

Cheers

Cliff

[MotherBear]

Broadband test reveals who's fastest
4:00AM Monday Nov 17, 2008
By Matt Greenop

Internet service provider Orcon has topped a nationwide broadband speed survey.

Broadband performance on more than 12,000 computers was tested, and the results showed that the two biggest providers, Vodafone and Telecom, were not giving customers the best performance.

Two smaller internet service providers (ISPs), Inspire and Snap, also performed, but provide to a significantly smaller customer base.

Orcon's results were significantly better than those of other providers, with an average download speed of 5.2 megabytes a second (Mb/s).

Of the major companies in the broadband market, TelstraClear was next with 3.5Mb/s, followed by Vodafone and Telecom. The national average line speed was 3.4Mb/s.

Orcon outstripped its competitors in Auckland, recording 6.1Mb/s as a result of its high-speed ADSL2+ service.

More here.