Chorus recently released some data about how NZ households used the internet in 2019. Check out the busiest day on the internet, the cities that used the most data and with the fastest download speeds.
Recent figures released by Chorus show that 2019 was the year that fibre became the connection of choice. 56% of homes and businesses able to connect to the fibre network are now doing so.
Chorus connected more than 160,000 homes and businesses to fibre last year.
Getting fibre installed has become more straightforward in recent years, as Chorus gears up to discontinue copper broadband in certain areas. You will need to follow a consent process, but your installation company can work through this with you.
Most people can expect a reasonably quick and convenient process - Chorus say that nearly three quarters of installations are now done within a single visit from a technician.
For more complex installations such as those involving rough terrain, long distances or needing traffic management plans, two visits might be necessary.
The busiest time of year on the Chorus network was on 20 October at 9.05pm during the Rugby World Cup quarter-final – Wales vs France.
The top 3 busiest times for broadband usage in 2019 were:
9.05pm, 20 October 2.6Tbps (the Rugby World Cup quarter-final, Wales vs France)
9.30pm, 19 October 2.52Tbps (the Rugby World Cup quarter-final, England vs Australia)
9.30pm, 15 October 2.47Tbps (coinciding with Fortnite update, chapter two)
The top 3 towns that used the most data per household in 2019 were:
First place: Porirua, who use about 360GB during the month, a 33% increase on the same period in 2019
Second equal: Auckland and Gisborne came in second place with an average of 226GB each
Overall the average NZ household used 293GB of data in December 2019, a 25% increase on the amount of data used in December 2018.
In terms of fast fixed-line broadband, the top five places with the fastest broadband in New Zealand (on the Chorus network) were:
The average connection speed on Chorus’s network was 46% faster than in the same period the previous year – at 140.9Mbps for December 2019.
Chorus Network Strategy Manager Kurt Rodgers says a big driver of data used in 2019 was streaming becoming the norm and says 4k content will become more commonplace this year, driving competition between providers.
"Streaming has become so mainstream nowadays that there are now almost too many providers which becomes confusing for consumers.
"4k will be the differentiating factors as quality, not just content, becomes king. For example, Disney Plus doesn’t charge extra for 4k, it’s just expected," he says.
The best place to start is to check your broadband speed to measure your upload and download speeds.
If you are looking for a faster connection, this may be a great time to upgrade to a fibre connection or to upgrade to a faster broadband plan.
