Kiwi internet providers get better

The quality of broadband in New Zealand overtook that in Britain after the top five internet service providers raised their game, said a study carried out for the Commerce Commission.

Consultancy Epitiro Technology measured the performance of broadband connections using computers connected to a dozen ISPs in 11 cities, running eight separate quality tests every 15 minutes.

New Zealand's broadband "quality index" rose 22 per cent in the June quarter to 2920, while Britain's fell 10 per cent to 2749, it said.

TelstraClear continued to offer the best service in Wellington and Christchurch through its cable network, but its wholesale service elsewhere rated below average. Orcon won top honours in Auckland.

Telecom improved its index rating 50 per cent in the three main centres and offered a better than average service in Auckland and Hamilton.

"The main trend evident in this quarter's report is the consistent improvement in the overall performance of the top five providers, particularly in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch," Epitiro said.

It put this down to investments in backhaul links and international capacity.

Epitiro said the quality of broadband in Britain had fallen at the same time that competition increased.

"Britain has seen very strong growth in unbundled lines, from 3.7 million in December to more than 4.5 million by August, with almost all consumers having a choice of two to four broadband service providers.

"British service providers report that growth in competition has fragmented the market, leading to a wide variation in service performance."

Unbundling had barely started in New Zealand during the period covered by Epitiro's study.

But Commerce Commission chairwoman Paula Rebstock took the report as confirmation that industry reforms here were on the right track.