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Wireless internet broadband modem - Source: ONE News
There has been a moderate improvement in New Zealand's broadband quality, but congestion continues to impact download speeds, according to the quarterly Epitiro/IDC report on New Zealand broadband quality.
New Zealand's overall broadband performance - tested from the residential user perspective - improved by 4% in the March 2009 quarter.
The report says the improvement is likely driven by continued investment in international capacity, and more investment in fine tuning caches that store popular local and international content for quick access.
It also says some by internet service providers (ISPs) have changed the way they transmit data, which has boosted download speeds.
Broadband reliability - the amount of time the service is available - was found to be good, with an average network downtime of approximately 14 minutes per month for most ISPs.
The report notes that there has been increased investment and competition from ISPs over the last year.
"While there was only an incremental improvement in overall broadband performance in the quarter, some ISPs have been putting in work behind the scenes to boost broadband performance," says Commerce Commission spokesperson Osmond Borthwick.
However, congestion is impacting broadband services. It is particularly noticeable in cities remote from Auckland, with national download speeds significantly lower for Dunedin than the other main centres tested.
International download speeds are worse still - usually less than half of national download speeds.
All international traffic is routed via Auckland.
The Commerce Commission says it will continue to monitor these constraints.
