Netflix ranks NZ streaming speeds

Netflix has been officially live in New Zealand for just under two months, and the popular streaming giant has now released findings on how Kiwi internet providers stack up in regards to streaming speeds.

Snap took out the top spot amongst New Zealand ISPs with an average of 3.77Mbs, followed by Vodafone and Orcon. Spark came in at number 8 with an average of 2.39Mbs.

The Netflix index shows New Zealand as the 14th fastest country out of 29 monitored. When looking at individual ISP rankings, the New Zealand ISPs with the highest ratio of VDSL and fibre customers higher up the list, while those with more rural and ADSL customers are lower down the list.

The report illustrates the impact faster technologies are having in the telecommunications industry, according to Adrian Dick, CallPlus chief technology officer.

CallPlus came in 5th, behind Bigpipe.

"This is what we would have expected to see," Dick says. "What's worth noting is that the ISPs with more customers on Unlimited plans have performed better, as people with capped plans may see speeds drop once they reach their cap.

Dicks says, "It's great to see New Zealand 14th in the global index – and is testament to the country's solid broadband infrastructure, local caching of Netflix content, and the number of people on fibre.

"What's more, New Zealand's ranking is likely to improve in coming months as more Kiwis take up Fibre, and we predict more people will move to unlimited plans in order to get the most out of Netflix and other streaming services," he says.

Dick says the CallPlus network, which includes Slingshot, Orcon and Flip, is seeing customers happily streaming 4K (the highest TV resolution available) at 20Mbps – something that is very achievable on fibre and some VDSL connections.

"Also interesting in New Zealand and Australia was the almost instant popularity of Netflix. Kiwis have taken to the service in droves since the New Zealand launch, with Netflix traffic accounting for between 15 and 20% of all traffic on the CallPlus Network already," he says.

"Fortunately, Kiwi ISPs and Netflix were prepared for the high level of interest - something that didn't happen in Australia, where they saw performance issues due to demand.