The words 'broadband' and 'internet' are often used to describe the same thing. But the definition of each word is quite different. Broadband was originally defined as an "always on internet connection with a download speed around 2Mbps, and an upload speed over 1Mbps". Maximum speeds have increased a lot since then, but broadband still means high speed internet access. The word internet simply means "a system of interconnected computer networks". In New Zealand, Broadband connections (DSL) first appeared on the copper network in 1999, with speeds of just 128kbps. Broadband started to become more common in 2000, quickly overtaking dial-up internet connections.

Now, the most common type of broadband in New Zealand is Fibre broadband, with 1.19 million connections now using Fibre (as of April 2019). If you are interested in upgrading to Fibre broadband, or changing provider, take a look at our broadband plans.

Whatever type of internet connection you have, we know that you want to have the fastest possible speed and the best experience.