Broadband futures what can New Zealand expect?
By
September 10, 2018
We asked a number of Chorus experts about we can expect in the next two years for New Zealand. These are their thoughts:
New technology will drive bandwidth needs higher
From 2016, 4K televisions and virtual reality devices will become more common in Kiwi homes – and both will require greater bandwidth for a good experience.
Most home networks won’t be fit for purpose
As technology advances, the internet’s restrictions are dropping away. Problems such as buffering or outages are now more often a result of home network limitations, rather than broadband capability. With more devices, household Wifi will need greater stability and speed, and may need to reach new parts of the home.
NZ will become a top-10 fibre country with superfast speeds
Increased fibre coverage will see New Zealand rank in the top 10 OECD countries when it comes to the proportion of homes with fibre available. Before the UFB network was built in New Zealand, we ranked 26th in the OECD. This had risen to 14th in 2015, and New Zealand is set to enter the top 10 within the next 12-18 months.
Telco companies will look to broaden horizons
New Zealand’s telecommunications sector is no stranger to consolidation. Last year there were five acquisitions in six months, including 2degrees buying Snap and Vocus purchasing M2. While there may be room for one more large scale disruptive play, this year, expect smaller acquisitions that give companies new services or capabilities.