Latest MBNZ Results Highlight Choices For Gamers And Bandwidth Hogs

The Commerce Commission‘s latest Measuring Broadband New Zealand (MBNZ) report, taken from testing in May 2022, throws the spotlight on broadband performance for gamers and users of other high-bandwidth services.

Telecommunications Commissioner, Tristan Gilbertson, says the report shows that there can be significant differences for gamers and high-bandwidth users, even between fibre providers, proving that it still pays to shop around.

“Not all connections are equal and what we’ve seen from this report is that there are significant differences in latency depending on provider. For instance, consumers who play popular online games such as Hearthstone and Starcraft 2 are likely to enjoy a more consistent performance from providers such as Orcon,Slingshot and MyRepublic,” he says.

Another key finding in this report is that MyRepublic has increased peak hour speeds for its Fibre Max service, which are up by 27% since the previous report, showing how the MBNZ programme incentivises providers to deliver better performance for the benefit of New Zealanders.

Mr Gilbertson said that, by providing greater transparency around the performance of different plans and providers, MBNZ helps ensure New Zealanders have the right information to make informed decisions about their broadband needs.

“When considering a plan on a provider’s website, consumers can now see the speeds they can expect to get at peak times, based on our MBNZ results. This is a great way to help inform consumers about whether a particular provider and plan is right for their lifestyle. For instance, there is a big difference between what a gamer wants in terms of speeds and latency, versus someone who does a bit of emailing and online shopping.”

The Commission is continuing to review the future of the MBNZ programme to ensure that it provides consumers and the industry with independent information about broadband performance. The selection of the testing provider for the next three to five years is expected to be announced shortly.

This report and previous reports are available on the Commission's website. Consumers can also sign up to become a broadband volunteer.

Background

The Measuring Broadband New Zealand programme report was produced by SamKnows, a world leader in internet performance measurement. Data for this report was collected over the period 1-31 May 2022.

The report provides independent information on broadband performance across different providers, plans, and technologies to help consumers choose the best broadband plan for their homes. Shining a light on actual broadband performance also encourages providers to compete on performance as well as price.

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