Fibre uptake rises as streaming drives data surge

New Zealand switches to streamed television

Chorus reports 56 percent of homes and businesses able to connect to the fibre network have now taken up the option. The network company added 160,000 fibre connections in 2019.

The growth comes as New Zealanders continue to switch to streaming television services.

This has seen a surge in the amount of data on the Chorus network. That reached a peak during the Rugby World Cup in October when Wales met France in the quarter final. During the game network traffic hit 2.6 Tbps, up 37 percent on the 2018 peak.

Fortnite a big date on the download calendar

While the second busiest day was when England played Australia in the quarter final, the October 15 update to the popular Fortnite game was in third place with 2.47 Tbps.

Chorus network strategy manager Kurt Rodgers says streaming will remain the main growth driver with 4k content becoming more commonplace this year.

He says: “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."

Another trend which will change the broadband experience will be the emergence of WiFi 6. Rodgers says it launched last year, but all new devices will now be WiFi 6 enabled.

“It is a significant upgrade. It provides faster speeds, lower latency, better coverage, extends battery life by using less power and massively improves performance in crowded areas which is great as people add more smart devices to their homes", he says.

Porirua is New Zealand's most data-hungry town. The average household slurped up 360GB during December. That's up 33 percent on a year earlier. The average New Zealand household got through 293GB in December, that's up 25 percent on a year earlier.

Dunedin retains its crown as New Zealand's fastest city with an average download speed of 351Mbps. Dunedin was the first city to get gigabit broadband. This is now fast becoming the norm across New Zealand. Demand for gigabit plans doubled in 2019.

Across the Chorus network the average connection speed is 140.9 Mbps. It is up 46 percent on a year earlier.

Network for Learning plans wireless upgrade

Next month will see the start of a schools wireless upgrade. Network for Learning says it will replace more than 12,000 switches and 38,000 wireless access points.

The move comes as part of the Te Mana Tūhono programme which aims to reduce the internet management burden on schools. Around 200 schools will get new hardware by June, these will be those with ageing equipment. The remainder will be upgraded over the next four years.

Vodafone to support eSim by mid-year

Technology director Tony Baird says Vodafone postpay customers will be able to use eSim technology by the middle of the year. He says this coincide with the arrival of more cellular enabled watches and dual sim phones.

An eSim is an embedded replacement for the small SIM cards used by mobile phones and other devices. The technology is popular with phone makers and consumers because it simplifies use and makes it easy to swap carriers. Spark has offered eSims for the past year.

UFB network reaches Rātana Pā in time for celebration

Rātana Pā near Whanganui has been connected to the UFB fibre network in time for the annual celebration on January 25. The connection was paid for by the Provincial Growth Fund which earmarked $21 million to connect rural marae.

Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says: “These places are central hubs for whānau, hapū and iwi, and are central to many rural communities. This improved digital connectivity will support the community’s economic activity and improve their connections with wider whānau.”

Vodafone workers get Friday afternoons off

Vodafone will give around 2000 workers an early mark this afternoon and every other Friday for the rest of the summer. The company's summer hours programme means staff can finish at 2pm. People who have to work Fridays will get time off on another day.