Super-fast Broadband Plans: How Fast is Fast Enough?

Super-fast broadband is, truth be told, a little bit vague of a term. After all, what a competitive gamer thinks is ‘super-fast’ is likely very different from your grandma.

But, when you look at the usage requirements of most households, it’s clear that Fibre 300/100 (New Zealand’s unofficial standard broadband plan) is enough for most of us. After all, according to the Commerce Commission’s Measuring Broadband New Zealand (MBNZ) June 2022 report, Fibre 300/100 “will cover most users’ requirements” and is easily capable of streaming four simultaneous UHD Netflix streams.

That’s pretty fast. Perhaps, super-fast, even?

However, it’s far from the fastest broadband on the market – that title belongs to 8000Mbps Hyperfibre broadband. Although nearly no one in New Zealand, whether an individual or a business, needs speeds of that level.

So how fast does your broadband need to be, to be considered fast? And how fast do you actually need your broadband to be? Canstar takes a look.

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In the below article, we take a look at:

What broadband speeds are on offer?
Super-fast broadband: How fast is fast?
What speeds do you need?
Super-fast broadband plans: What’s available?

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What broadband speeds are on offer?

Below is a list of the main broadband options available in New Zealand, as well as an estimate of the speeds offered by each. Actual speeds may differ:

Broadband type	Download (Mbps)	Upload (Mbps)
Fixed Wireless	35	20
ADSL	7.5	1
VDSL	40	10
UFB – Fibre 300	300	100
UFB – Fibre Max	900	500
Hyperfibre	2000-8000	2000-8000

Super-fast broadband: How fast is fast?

As you can see from the above table, there’s a huge difference between an old-school ADSL connection and the top-tier Hyperfibre plan.

But if we want to say a super-fast broadband plan is one that can handle all your broadband needs, without strain, then Fibre 300 is likely the minimum requirement. For almost everyone, it should allow you to comfortably browse and stream without having to sit around waiting for videos to buffer and webpages to load in all the images.

That’s also why it’s, unsurprisingly, the most popular choice among consumers and the plan marketed as the standard option by most broadband retailers.

What speeds do you need?

Fibre 300 is a great place to start with broadband. As we mentioned above, it’s the most popular choice and the level where you’d start considering your broadband as being super speedy. So if your household does any gaming, video chatting, and/or Netflix binging this is probably the minimum level you’d want to opt for.

For reference, a single UHD Netflix stream requires a download speed of around 25Mbps. So even one stream would be beyond what ADSL can handle and would be pushing the upper limits of both fixed wireless and VDSL.

And that’s before you throw in all the other phones, tablets and smart devices laying about the house clogging up your bandwidth. Plus, if someone doesn’t like what’s on, and streams something else by themself, that’s another 25Mbps you have to add into the mix!

It is worth mentioning, however, that dialling your Netflix back to Standard Definition only requires about 3Mbps, while HD requires about 5Mbps. So if you’re not fussy about making the most out of your 4K TV, streaming is still easily done on slower plans. And for light users who use their Sky dish more than their Netflix, and who are more into Facebook than TikTok, a slower and cheaper plan may be a particularly viable option.

What about data-hungry users?

At the other end of the spectrum, if you’re a larger household, have a few teenagers, or are a uni flat filled with budding influencers, you may want to step it up a notch.

A Fibre Max/Pro plan (roughly 900/500Mbps) is available for about $20/month more than a standard Fibre plan and doesn’t require any extra set-up. This will provide well over double the speeds of a standard Fibre plan and will ensure everyone can stream and game to their heart’s content.

What about Hyperfibre?

Hyperfibre ranges from 2000-8000Mbps depending on the plan chosen. However, for almost everyone, this is overkill. At the end of the day, Hyperfibre is largely for businesses.

In saying that, if there are several serious gamers, home studio musicians, designers or remote workers in the house, then a 2000Mbps Hyperfibre plan could be in the question. But you probably don’t need to think about it unless your current Fibre Max plan is struggling to keep up with your current usage.

And even then, it might be pay to do some troubleshooting first. You could find that your plan isn’t the problem, but rather your connection.

→Related article: What Is Hyperfibre Broadband and How Does it Work?

Super-fast broadband plans: What’s available?

Below is a list of current* super-fast (Fibre 300 and above) broadband plans available in New Zealand. Do note, that many of the below retailers offer ADSL, VDSL and Fixed Wireless plans, but these have been excluded from the below list.

Providers have been listed in order of our latest Most Satisfied Customers | Broadband Award results.

NOW Broadband

New customers have the option of using their own router, or purchasing a router when signing up (for a one-off fee or via monthly payments). There are also the options of adding a home phone line, and purchasing an in-home or remote home tech assist membership.

NOW broadband is the winner of our most recent Most Satisfied Customers award for Broadband. Its third win in a row! You can read more about NOW broadband’s win here.

Plan	Monthly data limit	Approx speed: (Mbps: download/upload)	Cost (per month)*
125GB	125GB	300/100	$79
Unlimited	Unlimited	300/100	$89
Ultra Unlimited	Unlimited	900/500	$102

Skinny

All Skinny plans have the option to join on open-term or fixed-term contracts.

If joining on a 12-month term, you receive a free modem ($99 on open-term fibre), while all fibre plans currently have one month free! All plans receive a $10 discount if you have a Skinny mobile plan.

Prices below do not include Skinny Mobile discount or account for the free broadband months.

Plan	Monthly data limit	Approx speed (Mbps: download/upload)	Cost (per month)*
Uncapped fibre	Unlimited Fibre	300/100	$75 (eligible for one month free)
Uncapped fibre	Unlimited Fibre	900/500	$90 (eligible for one month free)

 

2degrees

All 2degrees plans are currently discounted when you join on a 12-month contract (discount ranges from $10-20/month).

Additionally, its two Fibre plans come with free Amazon Prime Video and Prime Gaming for a year (when you sign on for one year) while all plans are eligible for a $10 monthly discount if you have an eligible 2degrees monthly phone plan.

That means certain customers could save a whopping $420 a year (as highlighted below)

• Unlimited Fibre (300/100) plan standard price = $92/month
• Current promotional price = $75/month
• Price after 2degrees pay monthly discount ($10/month) = $65/month
• Price after free Prime Video subscription ($8/month) = $57/month

Of course, if you’re not currently paying for Prime Video then the free yearly subscription is a bonus, and shouldn’t be factored in as a monthly saving.

Note that the below prices do not include the 2degrees mobile discount.

Plan	Monthly data limit	Speed (Mbps: download/upload)	Cost (per month)*
Unlimited	Unlimited	300/100	$75 (promotional price)
Ultimate Unlimited	Unlimited	900/500	$90 (promotional price)

 

Slingshot

Slingshot offers fibre broadband plans, with the option to pay weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. You can either rent a modem for $5/month or BYO modem. If you add power to your Slingshot broadband, you receive 10% off your base broadband plan and 10% off your power plan. If you are a Slingshot Broadband customer, you’ll receive $5 off your mobile bill every month (or a proportion of that if you’re billed weekly or fortnightly) – for each mobile account you have with Slingshot.

The below prices are the starting prices for the respective plans and may require you to bundle utilities to access that pricing.

Plan	Monthly data limit	Speed (Mbps: download/upload)	Cost (per month)*
150GB Fibre	150GB	300/100	from $74.95
Unlimited Fibre	Unlimited	300/100	from $79.95
Ultimate Gigantic Fibre	Unlimited	900/500	from $89.95

Orcon

Orcon provides fibre and Hyperfibre broadband plans, with a strong focus on superfast, reliable broadband perfect for businesses, gamers, streamers and those reliant on excellent wi-fi connections.

Orcon plans come with the option to add 4G backup (in case your fibre connection is down), Nest routers for guaranteed wall-to-wall coverage, priority support and more.

Currently, when you sign up for a Fibre plan on a 12-month contract you’ll get Wifi Pro for free. Wifi Pro includes multiple Google Nest routers to provide guaranteed wall to wall wifi.

Plan	Monthly data limit	Approx speed (Mbps: download/upload)	Cost (per month)*
Fibre	Unlimited	300/100	$89.95
Fibre Pro	Unlimited	900/500	$99.95
Hyperfibre 2	Unlimited	2000	$149.95
Hyperfibre 4	Unlimited	4000	$184.95
Hypefibre 8	Unlimited	8000	$274.95

Spark

All Spark plans are open term, meaning no locked-in contract. However, that does mean you have to supply your own modem or purchase one from Spark upfront for $106.20.

Currently, all of Spark’s plans include six months of Spark Sport free, while certain plans are eligible to upgrade to a ‘Plus’ plan option. All Plus plans add a Netflix Standard subscription ($18.49/month) and McAfee Security Standard ($4.95/month) for just an additional $5/month.

That means if you’re currently paying for Netflix, Spark’s Essential Fibre broadband actually works out to just $71.51/month ($90/month – $18.49/month) which makes it one of the cheapest Fibre plans on offer.

Other benefits include access to discounted subscriptions for Spotify, Neon, and Spark Sport.

Plan	Monthly data limit	Approx speed (Mbps: download/upload)	Cost (per month)*
Essential Fibre/Plus	Unlimited	300/100	$85/$90
Max Fibre/Plus	Unlimited	900/500	$100/$105

Contact

Contact is one of the biggest electricity generation companies in the country. It ONLY offers broadband when bundled with an accompanying electricity plan. Its plans vary in price depending on whether bundled with electricity, or electricity and gas.

All plans have unlimited data and no fixed-term contracts or termination fees. You can BYO modem or Contact can supply you one for a one-off $14.99 postage and handling fee.

Plan	Monthly data limit	Approx speed (Mbps: download/upload)	Cost (per month)*
Fast Fibre	Unlimited	300/100	From $70
Max Fibre	Unlimited	900/500	From $85

NB: The above prices are for Contact’s fibre + power plans. Bundling broadband, power and gas earns an extra discount of $5 p/m per plan.

Nova Energy

Nova Energy is primarily an energy provider, offering electricity as well as bottled and natural gas plans. With Nova Energy you can get a standalone fibre broadband plan, however, you can access discounts and deals (such as free appliances) by bundling it with electricity or electricity and gas.

Depending on the plan/bundle chosen, your plan may be on an open or fixed-term contract.

Plan	Monthly data limit	Approx speed (Mbps: download/upload)	Cost (per month)*
Fibre	Unlimited	300/100	From $69
Fibre Boost	Unlimited	900/500	From $89

NB: The above prices are for Nova’s multi-saver plans which combine fibre + electricity and/or gas.

MyRepublic

Like Orcon, MyRepublic has a strong focus on super fast and reliable wi-fi designed for businesses, gamers, and internet-intensive users. It is one of only two major broadband providers (alongside Orcon) currently offering Hyperfibre plans.

All its plans can be upgraded to Gamer plans for an additional $10/month (includes Gamer Support and Static IP) while you can rent a modem from just $1/month. Currently, if you choose MyRepublic’s Fibre PRO plan they will upgrade your modem to an Asus RT-AX3000 for the same $1/month price.

On its Hyperfibre plans, MyRepublic is currently offering a $30/month discount when you sign up for a Fibre 2000/4000 plan. It will also waive the $189 ONT installation fee on any of its three Hyperfibre plans.

Plan	Monthly data	Approx speed (Mbps: download/upload)	Cost (per month)*
Fibre 300	Unlimited	300/100	$82
Fibre PRO	Unlimited	900/500	$92
Fibre 2000	Unlimited	2000/2000	$159 ($129 on current deal)
Fibre 4000	Unlimited	4000/4000	$189 ($159 on current deal)
Fibre 8000	Unlimited	8000/8000	$289

→Related article: Best Broadband Plans to Keep Up with your Gaming Needs

Trustpower

Trustpower is one of the largest energy companies in New Zealand. It offers electricity, gas, and wireless/fibre broadband which can be purchased individually or bundled together for significant savings.

For example, when bundled with electricity, Trustpower currently offers six months free broadband. That makes it the cheapest fibre broadband plan in the country, at just $47/month (costs averaged out over 12 months). However, without this bundle, the standard rate for its Fibre plan is $94/month, which makes it the most expensive Fibre 300 plan in the country.

All plans eligible for six months free:

Plan	Monthly data	Approx speed (Mbps: download/upload)	Cost (per month)*
Fibre Classic	Unlimited	300/100	$94
Fibre Max	Unlimited	900/500	$109

Vodafone

Vodafone is also the only operator in the country to offer HFC broadband, thanks to its sole ownership of New Zealand’s HFC infrastructure. While limited in availability, for those eligible, HFC offers some of the fastest speeds in the country for some of the lowest prices.

→Related article: Better Than Fibre? What is HFC Broadband?

All Vodafone plans are eligible for a $10/month discount for customers on an eligible Vodafone phone plan while those who join on a 24-month term can get Vodafone SuperWifi for free. SuperWifi provides customers with TP-Link Deco X20 mesh routers and guarantees you will have wall-to-wall wi-fi coverage.

Do note that modem rental is an additional $4/month, while prices listed below do not include the $10 Vodafone mobile plan discount.

Plan	Monthly data limit	Speed (Mbps: download/upload)	Cost (per month)*
Fibre	Unlimited	319/108	$85
Fibre Max	Unlimited	916/497	$99
HFC	Unlimited	834/98	$63

*Further information on pricing can be found at individual retailer websites. Prices are correct at time of writing (01/11/22). This should be used as a starter guide and not considered an actual quote.

Compare broadband providers for free with Canstar!

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About the author of this page

This report was written by Canstar Content Producer, Andrew Broadley. Andrew is an experienced writer with a wide range of industry experience. Starting out, he cut his teeth working as a writer for print and online magazines, and he has worked in both journalism and editorial roles. His content has covered lifestyle and culture, marketing and, more recently, finance for Canstar.

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