The Commerce Commission's latest Measuring Broadband New Zealand (MBNZ) report throws the spotlight on the performance of fixed wireless and Fibre Max broadband.
The performance of fixed wireless – broadband delivered via wireless technologies to a fixed location – has improved. In the most recent testing conducted in June and July this year, the average download speeds had increased by 16% since the last report - the fastest average fixed wireless speeds the Commission has ever recorded in the programme.
The performance of Fibre Max has also improved with average download speeds increasing by around 20Mbps compared to the previous report, from 856Mbps to 877Mbps – also the fastest average speeds seen on Fibre Max since the MBNZ programme started.
Telecommunications Commissioner, Tristan Gilbertson, says he is pleased by the improved performance of both fixed wireless and Fibre Max.
"With the cost of living on the rise, it's great to see improved performance of fixed wireless, as it can be a cheaper alternative to other technologies like fibre – although it comes with trade-offs in terms of speed and latency that consumers need to consider."
"It's great to see Fibre Max customers still getting performance improvements over time with no change in cost – something that seems likely to help cement its position as the fastest growing fibre segment."
"What we're seeing across the board is that the programme continues to incentivise providers to invest and compete which in turn leads to greater quality, choice and value for Kiwi consumers."
The Commission is in the final stages of procuring the next three to five years of the MBNZ programme and expects to make an announcement in the next month. Testing will continue as normal until then.
This report and previous reports are available on the Commission's website. Consumers can also sign up to become a broadband testing volunteer.
Background
The Measuring Broadband New Zealand programme report was produced by SamKnows, a world leader in internet performance measurement. Data for this report was collected over the period 15 June – 14 July 2022.
Fibre Max products are advertised under different names by different providers. These products generally promise download speeds of around 700-950 Mbps.
The fixed wireless results in this report show the performance of 4G fixed wireless connections. The programme does conduct testing of 5G fixed wireless connections, but due the low number of customers in New Zealand, and therefore the number of MBNZ testing volunteers on these plans, the data is not yet robust enough to be included in the reports. The Commission hopes to be able to report on this, and other new technologies, in the next version of the MBNZ programme.
The report provides independent information on broadband performance across different providers, plans, and technologies to help consumers choose the best broadband plan for their homes. Shining a light on actual broadband performance also encourages providers to compete on performance as well as price.
