Break it, and they will come: broadband subscribers top 1 million
The total number of broadband subscribers was more than one million in June 2009, Statistics New Zealand revealed today.
This is an increase of 27% since the survey was last run in March 2008 - perhaps not coincidentally, the month that Telecom was broken into organisationally separate Wholesale, Chorus (network) and Retail divisions. Since that time, competitors have been allowed to begin moving their own DSL broadband gear into Telecom exchanges, and all ISPs can buy from Telecom Wholesale on equal terms (well, mostly equal).
Broadband subscribers now make up nearly three-quarters of all Internet
subscribers.
"While half of all broadband subscribers have a data cap or allowance of less than 5 gigabytes (GB), we are seeing an increase in the number of subscribers with larger data caps," said Statistics NZ manager Gary Dunnet.
The number of broadband subscribers with a data cap of 20GB or more has tripled to 126,000. A user would be able to watch about 100 hours of streaming video with a monthly data cap of 20GB.
Satellite surge
The number of subscribers using mobile data cards, cable, or satellite technology to connect to the Internet increased by 53% to 220,000. These users make up one-fifth of the total number of broadband users.
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Comments and questions12
TelstraClear has a very large segment of the wellington and christchurch areas on their CABLE network, which is probably where the real growth in this survey's category comes from.
that nobody can use it! I know this because Ernie Newman told me so.
53% increase in usage.... clearly someone can use it.
Having XTRA broadband e-mail problems when off-shore is frustrating and expensive ( telephone is $5.00 per minute!) E-mail responses out of NZ hours - huh! But dealing with first-level "help" desk personnel with a limited command of technical knowledge and, in some cases, New Zealand English is a pain in the ....!
There has to be a better way! There has to!
Ernie's right!
I've received the $2500 mobile data bill!
I was told that my usage was excessive!
I disagreed!
I was told if I was on a data plan it would have only been $200!
I said I was on a plan!
The CSR went ohhhhhhhhhhh! (after checking my plan!!!!!)
The 53% growth shows that we really do need genuine broadband everywhere!
What we don't need are excessive charges and anti-competitive restrictions!
Why can't I use someone other than my Cellco as my mobile ISP?
How come I can get 50GB of data for $100 at my fibre equipped apartment - (Yes I already have FTTH - not a traditional telco in sight!) yet on a mobile device that'd need a mortgage! especially with most cellular sites being one hop away from fibre so its the same data!
Time for more unbundling!
Where's Ernie?
Actually the 53% refers to mobile, satellite and cable - not just mobile. Yes, a lot of people use mobile data, but just imagine how many more would use it if the prices were reasonable/cheaper...
Not many more would use it, even if it were free. Mobile broadband is a limited market in NZ. We are probably close to saturation now.
Does not know sh1t
The statistics in this article about statistics have issues. A 5GB usage cap will not let a customer complete even one HD-quality movie stream on some American online content providers. A 20GB cap might bring you three movies in HD quality. Some American fiber to the home providers with content portals provide very bandwidth heavy video delivery because they don't reduce the quality to compensate for slower networks.
For Americans watching Hulu, an hour-long show consumes up to 400 megabytes.
As higher bandwidth applications for the Internet continue to be developed, bit caps in this range simply result in customers rationing their usage to a greater and greater degree.
Increasingly these kinds of usage caps are more about Internet Overcharging, and companies not making the needed investments in upgrading their networks, and less about "need," especially with wired broadband networks.
Phillip Dampier
Editor, Stopthecap.com
FYI
http://img.nextplug.in/tech/interet_speed.jpg
He tries to attribute a 27% increase in broadband subscribers to the structural separation of Telecom. All well and good, but mobile data, cable and satellite subscriptions are growing at twice that rate (and the provision of these was unnaffected by structural separation). It would be more logical to conclude that structural separation was reducing broadband uptake.
The causes and effects are complex, and deserve better quality analysis.
Perhaps Chris Keall might like to explain why the average monthly gain in DSL subscrbers in the 6 months Sep 2007 to Mar 2008 (pre separation) is 1.7% per month, whilst in the 15 months Mar 2009 is precisely 1.5%? That is, structural separation appears to have resulted in a lowergrowth rate in DSL connections!
That should be 1.5% in the 15 months Mar 2008 to jun 2009
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