New Zealanders Switch on to Broadband

Embargoed until 10:45am – 16 August 2006

New Zealanders Switch on to Broadband

Broadband subscriber numbers jumped by nearly a third in the six months to 31 March 2006, bringing the total number of Internet subscribers in New Zealand to 1.3 million, Statistics New Zealand said today.

Results from the Internet Service Provider Survey March 2006 also showed that the number of dial-up subscribers is beginning to decrease, falling almost 7 percent from 30 September 2005.

Despite the number of broadband (also known as non-analog) subscribers per 100 inhabitants increasing from 9.0 to 11.5 in the six months to 31 March 2006, New Zealand retained the same OECD subscriber ranking (22nd) that it had at 30 September 2005. The OECD subscriber average for the same period was 13.6 per 100 inhabitants.

There were 57 Internet service providers (ISPs) operating in New Zealand at 31 March 2006, compared to 66 ISPs operating six months earlier. During this period larger ISPs have increased their subscriber numbers at the expense of smaller ISPs.

In the year to March 2006, 20 percent fewer ISPs reported that the regulatory environment relating to telecommunications was a barrier to growth. Twenty percent fewer ISPs reported delays in obtaining facilities from backbone suppliers as a barrier to growth.

The Internet Service Provider Survey is a census of all Internet service providers in New Zealand and is conducted every six months.

Dallas Welch
Acting Government Statistician

ENDS

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