Synopsis
Significant growth in the number of mobile broadband subscribers in New Zealand in the last 12 to 18 months has dwarfed developments in wireless broadband, with mobile shifting to represent a sizeable portion of the country’s total broadband subscriber base. Wireless broadband offerings continue to be concentrated around New Zealand’s major regional and city centres where the main providers, including Woosh, CityLink and Compass Communications, offer coverage. Competition from mobile broadband is pushing pricing down and contributing to greater regional coverage. Commitment from government to a multi-million dollar investment in securing widespread access to high-speed broadband internet may present a further hurdle for wireless providers as the national infrastructure closes the gaps in coverage. Changes in the availability of technology are simplifying the process of accessing wireless broadband with laptops now widely available that are WiFi enabled/sold with wireless laptop cards. The availability of this technology removes a barrier to WiFi but cost, coverage and speed now become deciding factors.