Finding an Internet Service Provider in New Zealand

Want to get connected in New Zealand? Here's what to do.

Decide whether you want a fast or slow connection.

A standard speed dial-up connection costs less than NZ$20 per month.

     To surf 4 times faster than dial-up, you should get basic broadband for $50 per month.

     To surf 40 times faster than dial-up will cost around $60 or $70 per month.

     If you live in a more remote area and you want better than dial-up, you'll probably need to consider more expensive options such as wireless (if there's a local transmitter) or even satellite internet.

Compare the companies.

Telecom New Zealand dominates the country's telecommunications. Despite its size, Telecom's reputation with Internet customers is rather variable. People often complain of poor service.

Our own experience of the companies we've listed below is reasonably good. The internet connections they provide are reliable and their customer service is acceptable. If you have technical problems the chances are you will end up waiting in a queue before their technical support people can accept a phone call.

Internet Connections - The Choices

1. Dial-up
Dial-up Internet speed in urban areas is 52 Kbps. This is the norm for most countries. Dial-up Internet connections are available everywhere in New Zealand.

BUT, Telecom New Zealand has been criticised for allowing its rural network to deteriorate. The telephone cables in many rural areas can handle a maximum of just 33 Kbps. In practice many rural lines are even slower than this. For most people - particularly anyone used to a fast connection - these speeds are unacceptably slow.

Rural problems are exacerbated by Telecom's habit of adding too many lines to rural exchanges and often further compounded by interference from electric fences.

Typical Dial-up Prices

2. Broadband / ADSL

Telecom's network delivers broadband to most New Zealanders. Smaller companies compete with Telecom but they still use Telecom's network to carry their service. Many of Telecom's rural lines can't carry broadband.

You can test whether broadband is available in any location using a tool on Telecom's website. You need to know a phone number in the area you are interested in. Enter a phone number to discover if Broadband is available in that area.

Typical ADSL / Broadband Prices - 256 Kbps

Notes:
     Many NZ broadband plans are restricted to 10 GB of data transfer per month. Only very heavy internet users would exceed this quota.
     If you exceed your traffic quota, most ISPs throttle your connection back to 64 Kbps (slightly faster than dial-up) for the remainder of the month.

Typical ADSL / Broadband Prices - 2 Mbps

3. Cable
Cable Internet uses fibre-optic cable to carry data. Cable is as fast as the fastest broadband - 2 Mbps.

In the Auckland / Hamilton Region, Wired County offers its customers broadband through a fibre-optic network.

TelstraClear offer cable connections in and around Wellington and parts of Christchurch.

Cable Price

4. Wireless
You don't need a telephone line for wireless Internet, but you do need to be close to a transmitter. Several wireless companies operate in New Zealand.

Wired Country offers a service that covers the Rodney District, Auckland's Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Suburbs, Manukau, Franklin District and Hamilton. Their set-up charge is $223.88. They charge $69.95 a month for 5 GB of traffic at 512 Kbps and $99.95 for 10 GB at 1 Mbps.

Woosh currently covers Invercargill and parts of Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. They charge $69.95 for 10 GB of traffic at 256 Kbps. A number of their customers have expressed concerns over the stability of the connections they get with Woosh.

5. Satellite

Satellite Internet is the ultimate solution if you need a fast, reliable connection in a remote area. It carries a hefty price tag.

For example, for a 256 Kbps connection and 10 GB of data transfer, Iconz charge as follows:

Satellite Dish: $2000
Satellite Dish installation: $1100 - $2000
Monthly Internet fee: $150

Iconz also give you an option to rent the Satellite Dish. You need to sign up for a minimum of two years. Then your costs would be:

Satellite Dish installation: $1100 - $2000
Monthly Internet fee: $262