Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Telecom NZ data use up and the case for trans-Tasman cable
Telecom NZ reports an 83 percent growth in data use on its mobile network in the past year. It says increasing smartphone ownership and video streaming applications are behind the surge.
The company reports the average amount of data per customer on the mobile network was 396 MB in September 2013 compared with 385 MB in August and 253 MB in September 2012.
Telecom NZ also specifically mentions the
America's Cup yacht races as responsible for the
kickstarting the popularity of video on mobile phones.
Recently I spoke to a senior Telecom executive who said the
race series in San Francisco was a turning point for
streaming.
Wi-Fi network up too
Meanwhile Telecom NZ's Wi-Fi network, which gives mobile users additional data access while in the move saw its traffic climb 20 percent in the last month. The amount of data per user actually dropped during the month, Telecom NZ says that's due to the large number of new customers starting to use the service.
The numbers in Telecom NZ's chart showing international submarine cable traffic trends make a strong case for making a trans-Tasman link a priority in front of building new connections across the Pacific. As the chart shows, the trans-Pacific share of traffic has fallen from around 90 percent of the total in 2004 to around 60 percent today.
Telecom NZ and other industry insiders have previously told me more and more international content is being hosted and served to New Zealand out of Australia. There's also a move towards communications with Asia. This trend is likely to continue with large multi-nationals such as Amazon and Microsoft building regional data centres in Sydney and Singapore.
Bill Bennett
Freelance journalist.
Auckland-based Bill Bennett writes technology and business stories that are directly relevant to New Zealand readers.
His emphasis is on telecommunications, but he also covers other aspects of technology and business. You can find his features in the New Zealand Herald and hear him regularly on RNZ Nine to Noon and the NZ Tech Podcast.
Bennett's The Download Weekly newsletter is published every Friday. You can sign up for it here.
If you want to support his work, you can make a donation to his PressPatron account.
Binoy Kampmark: Sinking Mike Pompeo - Tucker Carlson, Assange And Trump
Binoy Kampmark: Suing Antony Blinken - The US State Department, Israel And The Leahy Law
Binoy Kampmark: Jesting On The Environment - Australian Mining Gets A Present
Martin LeFevre - Meditations: The Antithesis Of What Jesus Taught And Lived 
Ramzy Baroud: The West Bank's Men Of The CIA - Why Is The PA Killing Palestinians In Jenin?
Binoy Kampmark: Concentrated Markets And Iceless Fokkers