Following our focus on ultrafast broadband deployment in the Wakatipu basin last week, the Queenstown Times asks what service the three available internet providers offer Queenstown customers. James Beech investigates.
Telecom, Orcon and Snap are the three New Zealand-owned internet providers competing when Queenstown, Frankton, Kelvin Heights and Jacks Point want to connect to the ultrafast broadband (UFB) network on their doorsteps.
All internet service providers (ISPs) share enthusiasm for people to switch as soon as possible from old copper internet wires to future-proofed fibre optic cables because it is ''a far superior way to connect to the internet'', enabling New Zealanders to ''do more faster'' with greater stability.
All ISPs say they are determined to keep their prices low and level with copper to help drive consumer demand for fibre.
The physical connection of UFB from streets to homes and workplaces is free to the user and paid by Chorus from a fund of $20 million, which is expected to last at least another year and will cover early adapters in the Wakatipu.
ISPs notify people by mail when their service is available.
Telecom was the first major telecommunications company to offer UFB and as well as getting fibre-ready customers up and running, it also made a faster copper-based broadband service - VDSL, or Very-high-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line - available to people who are waiting for the fibre rollout to arrive in their neighbourhoods.
Spokeswoman Holly Linnell, of Auckland, said Telecom was continuing to support customers who happily use their home landline service via copper at no extra charge.
''This is important to note for customers who use Sky TV, faxes, home and medical alarms all of which operate off existing copper wiring,'' Ms Linnell said.
''We're also working on helping usher in the content to get people really excited by signing up to next-generation broadband. Enabling customers to curate and connect to the types of online experiences they've never had before is important.
''Telecom's support of the hosting of the English Premier League via PremierLeaguePass.com is an example of this.''
Snap! was the first internet service provider to have the necessary network requirements in place and was getting consumer orders the moment the first areas were live with UFB, including Queenstown.
The company has the most extensive UFB footprint in New Zealand, offering USB services to about 90% of the market, and it is the only provider to be owned and operated in Christchurch, with its call centre also based in the Garden City.
Spokesman James Koers, of Christchurch, said Snap! was pushing UFB hard because the company saw it has an opportunity to grow its market share.
''We've got some good experience with UFB because we did leap into the market in August of last year and we've got literally thousands of UFB customers connected around the country, so we're really confident about the quality of the network and the performance the customer will see,'' Mr Koers said.
''We have got pretty generous data caps included as standard because we don't see the point of offering the same data cap as an ADSL service.
''UFB is fast and people are going to use it more, whether they realise it or not, so we think as standard the caps should reflect it is a much better performing service and you'll consume more data.''
Orcon is aiming to provide its internet services in Queenstown and Timaru in December and Oamaru next year, after establishing itself in Dunedin.
Spokesman Quentin Reade, of Auckland, said Orcon was ''leading the charge'' because it was the first internet service provider to launch nationwide services, has been selling UFB for more than a year and it has more connections than other providers.
The UFB and copper plans are priced the same and Orcon will offer Queenstown
the same as its nationwide 12-month fixed-term offers.
''Our most popular plan is the unlimited data, which we've seen people move to, just because when you've got faster speed you use more data.
''You don't want to be watching your usage meter to make sure you're not going over your data cap.''
