Internet service provider Orcon has launched a 8Gbps broadband plan.

Less than 18 months after launching its 4Gbps broadband service, Orcon has doubled the top speed of its fastest plan.

The new offering, Hyperfibre 8Gbps, is available in parts of Auckland and Wellington as of this week, with more regions in the pipeline, the ISP says.

"Orcon has always prided itself on being at the forefront of technology," says Orcon chief executive officer Taryn Hamilton.

"We have just announced that we will offer three Hyperfibre variants, 2Gbps, 4Gbps, and now a mind-blowing 8Gbps," Hamilton says.

Hamilton is the first to admit the new speeds are so fast that working out what to do with them maybe a challenge.

"8Gbps is 80 times faster than our standard 100Mbps plan. This is new territory for New Zealand broadband users," Hamiltob says.

"However, history tells us that people will find a way to use bandwidth, so we are happy to provide it, and see what Kiwi ingenuity is applied."
 
Hamilton says the bulk of early adopters have been businesses, with a few speed-hungry home users also getting onboard.

"We have a range of users on Hyperfibre plans, from design studios, a gaming development company, to an Auckland accountancy firm, as well as some residential addresses who must just want the fastest broadband money can buy," Hamilton explains.

This month Orcon relaunched itself, redesigning the ISP with the future of working and home connectivity in mind.

The ISP has scrapped business and residential distinctions and will instead tailor technical solutions which accurately matches every customers needs.

The strategy overhaul is part of what Orcon is calling ‘the future of working and home connectivity in mind'.

Hamilton says more people are running businesses at home, so there's a greater need for ISPs to offer more than just streaming services and a straight pipe.

“We saw a real opportunity to create an ISP straddling the reality of a blended world and offering new and innovative solutions to modern internet problems," Hamilton says.

Hamilton says four key products will form the backbone of this strategy:

• Wi-Fi Pro, which uses Google technology and guarantees a strong Wi-Fi signal throughout the home
• Priority Support, a bolt-on that sees customers jump the queue and have any callouts prioritised
• 4G Backup, a service which has a 4G SIM card built into the modem for redundancy
• And the new Hyperfibre offerings

Orcon is charging $149.95 a month for 2Gbps Hyperfibre, $184.95 for 4Gbps, and $274.95 for 8Gbps. The plans come with a $199 setup fee, on a 12-month contract.