The latest quarterly report from the Measuring Broadband New Zealand (MBNZ) programme shows broadband performance is stable across almost all the plans and providers it monitors, with 99% of Fibre 300, Fibre Max and HFC Max plans able to comfortably handle four simultaneous high-definition Netflix streams.
Telecommunications Commissioner Tristan Gilbertson says the latest report from the independent monitoring programme confirms Aotearoa New Zealand consumers continue to enjoy world-class broadband.
“Whether you use broadband for streaming TV and movies, online gaming or social media, this latest report shows that performance remains consistently high, particularly for fibre and HFC.”
It follows a recent report comparing broadband services in Aotearoa with Australia, which confirmed that our Ultra-Fast Broadband network is providing world-class broadband services.
MBNZ provides consumers with independent information on broadband performance so they can make informed decisions about the best broadband service for their household.
Performance data from the programme is now also being used by retail service providers in their advertising – one of the requirements of the new marketing code recently developed by the Telecommunications Forum at the request of the Commission.
“This new requirement means consumers can be confident that the speeds retail service providers use to promote their services are independently tested, rather than the “up to” or theoretical maximum speeds we have seen used for marketing in the past.”
The Commission is reviewing the future of the MBNZ programme to continue to provide consumers and the industry with information about broadband performance.
“Our intention is that the next phase of the programme will test and report on more technologies, providers and geographies,” says Mr Gilbertson.
“97% of consumers who responded to our survey earlier this year agreed with the need to independently test, monitor, and report on broadband performance in New Zealand.
“It was also clear from the feedback that the programme must evolve to continue to meet the needs of consumers and stay on top of developments.
“There was wide support for testing and reporting on new technologies like 5G and satellite broadband, and for including smaller providers and plans, so we can provide a richer source of information for consumers across the country.”
Consumer feedback also highlighted the need to make sure the information is accessible and easy to use, and that more New Zealanders know it is available.
“We’ll be taking all of this feedback into account in the next phase of our MBNZ programme, and our selection of an independent testing provider for the next 3-5 years, after the current contract comes to an end in September.”
The autumn MBNZ report showed that peak time download speeds of MyRepublic’s Fibre Max plans have decreased by around 95Mbps since the last quarterly report, with peak time download speeds of around 650Mbps compared to the industry average of 842Mbps. MyRepublic has advised it is implementing network improvements for Fibre Max customers to optimise user experience.
The report and previous reports are available on the Commission’s website. Consumers can also sign up to become a broadband volunteer.
Background
The Measuring Broadband New Zealand programme report was produced by SamKnows, a world leader in internet performance measurement. Data for this report was collected 1-31 March 2022.
The report provides independent information on broadband performance across different providers, plans, and technologies to help consumers choose the best broadband plan for their homes. Shining a light on actual broadband performance also encourages providers to compete on performance as well as price.
