Minister for Communications |
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| 5 April 2016 |
Media statement |
Govt broadband programmes triple NZ internet speedsTwo independent reports have found New Zealand’s Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) and Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) programmes continue to deliver faster internet speeds, says Communications Minister Amy Adams. “In 2008, average broadband speeds were around 2.7 Megabits per second. By the end of 2015, average speeds have more than tripled to 9.3 Mbps,” says Ms Adams. “The December 2015 Akamai State of the Internet report found that in the past year, average speeds rose from 7.3 Mbps to 9.3 Mbps, representing a 27 per cent increase in speeds for connected New Zealanders. “Alongside this, TrueNet’s latest update on RBI connections found the Government’s scheme is growing by about seven per cent each quarter.” Rural New Zealanders covered under the first phase of RBI are now able to access websites at a rate three times faster than they would otherwise have been able to. “Faster and more reliable connectivity is vital to all New Zealanders, and the Government’s UFB and RBI rollouts are lifting speeds and access right across the country. “The strong progress of the rollout means more than 875,000 New Zealand households, businesses, schools and hospitals are now able to connect to UFB, while almost 280,000 rural New Zealanders are now able to connect to either fixed wireless broadband or improved copper broadband services. “I look forward to more and more New Zealanders gaining connectivity to high-speed internet,” says Ms Adams. Key statistics from the Akamai State of the Internet report: · Average speeds rose from 7.3 Mbps in 2014 to 9.3 Mbps, a 27 per cent increase · Peak connection speeds increased to 42.8 Mbps, a 25 per cent increase on the previous year · The number of New Zealanders accessing over 15 Mbps has almost tripled over the last year · New Zealand has improved by two places in the rankings since 2014 to now be 41st in the world for average fixed line connection speeds · Average mobile connection speeds in Q4 2015 were 7.4Mbps · Peak mobile speeds reached 75.4 Mbps, and 88 per cent of connections were above 4 Mbps. Media contact: Lauren Wallis 021 918 329 |
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