The price of data

Cost was an issue we didn't look at. For comparing ISPs on price we recommend using our free TelMe.org.nz website, and then comparing those prices with the ISP’s performance results in this survey.

According to the Commerce Commission’s international monitoring reports, Kiwis pay more for internet than other developed nations. And we aren’t getting faster megabits per second (Mbps) speeds for our money either. Our average speeds are similar to countries like Singapore and Australia (~3Mbps), but we lag behind the US and Canada (5Mbps) and well below Japan and Hong Kong (8-9Mbps) at the head of the pack. 

How fast is fast?
Internet speeds are measured in data amounts per second, usually Mbps.

Generally you'll find that internet plans state you'll get the "maximum possible" download speeds. For most customers this is around 3-7Mbps. Upload speeds are often capped and are much slower. This can be an issue if you’re sending a lot of information over the internet – like photos, video or gaming.

Where you are has a big effect on the speeds you can get. Rural areas still find it hard to get good speeds.

Zero-rating

Quite a few ISPs now offer “zero-rated websites” — these are sites (such as YouTube, Twitter or on-demand TV) that you can visit without it counting against your data cap. This is a bonus to many plans and can be useful for those who regularly use such sites.