Telecom, Vodafone and 2degrees' mobile broadband rated Wellington
Truenet tests three main carriers in the capital.
Truenet tests three main carriers in the capital.
Who's the fastest mobile carrier in Wellington?
It depends where you are, and what you're doing.
Comprehensive testing carried out by TrueNet (a broadband testing company majority owned by Wellington-based Catalyst IT) has found the three major networks all capable of hitting a 6Mbit/s download speed - very respectable, and in keeping with the speeds claimed by Telecom and Vodafone on their websites (if a far cry from the 21Mbit/s theoretical maximum of the HSPA+ technology employed by both companies to turbocharge their respective 3G networks).
Using a single router board equipped with a HSPA+-capable modem and SIM card for each network, a TrueNet vehicle tested each network simultaneously in multiple locations. Methodology developed by OfCom (in broad terms, the UK equivalent of the NZ Commerce Commission's Telecommunications Commissioner) was employed for the the tests.
Its headline results (click to zoom):
Although 2degrees has yet to upgrade its 3G network to support HSPA+, it seems to hold its own - possibly reflecting the fact the carrier has fewer customers overall, and fewer using 3G data, leading to less chance of congestion.
On the map below, each coloured dot represents the best-performing network in each area of the capital:
Tests are planned for Auckland later this month, TrueNet's John Butt told NBR.
RAW DATA: read TrueNet's full results here.