The Commerce Commission’s latest ‘Measuring Broadband New Zealand’ report shows that on average, copper and fibre broadband experienced no significant decrease in download speeds during lockdown despite unprecedented demand on broadband networks.
The Lockdown period saw broadband saw broadband traffic increase setting new records for NZ, breaking previous records set during the Rugby World Cup.
“A huge increase in the number of New Zealanders staying connected, working and learning from home caused heavy demand on broadband networks during the lockdown period,” said Telecommunications Commissioner, Dr Stephen Gale.
“Chorus and other providers reported record levels of online activity. But despite that increase, the latest report from our independent testing partner, SamKnows, shows that copper and Fibre 100 plans continued to perform well, with average download speeds unaffected.
“Average download speeds for Fixed Wireless decreased by around 25%. Average download speeds for the fastest plan that we test, Fibre Max, decreased by about 4%, which most consumers would not notice given the high speeds on these plans.”
The report also includes tests of popular social media and gaming services for the first time, to gain insight to their performance. The results show that pictures on Facebook and Instagram would likely load much faster than on Snapchat, due to the lower latency to Facebook and Instagram, and gamers can expect the best Fortnite experience on Fibre plans.
The average download speed of Fibre Max plans has increased by around 50 Mbps since the last report. This 8% jump is largely due to an increase in the average measured speed for one provider.
“We’re pleased to see that Fibre Max speeds have again increased, but there is still a significant variation of results on these plans. We are working with the industry to understand the causes of this, which involves looking at hardware and the performance of individual networks,” said Dr Gale.
Dr Gale says, “We’re still on the lookout for volunteers on Orcon, Slingshot and Trustpower plans. We also need more volunteers on Vodafone’s Cable and Fixed Wireless plans.
“The more volunteers using different broadband services that sign up to the programme, the more detailed we can make the reports.”
Find out more about Measuring Broadband New Zealand, including registering to become a volunteer, at: www.measuringbroadbandnewzealand.com.
If your home broadband wasn’t up to scratch, it might be time to compare the options and upgrade your plan.
