Spark named New Zealand's best 5G network by Opensignal

Spark has been named New Zealand's Best 5G Network by Opensignal, based on the latest New Zealand Mobile Experience Awards report.

The mobile operator recorded six outright wins and three joint wins, extending its run of coverage and reliability awards to a third consecutive year. Spark won outright in Coverage, 5G Coverage, Time on 5G, 5G Reliability, Download Speed and 5G Download Speed, and shared wins in Reliability, Video and 5G Video.

Opensignal said the result reflected measured customer experience across the market rather than controlled testing. The analysis used real-world mobile measurements recorded in New Zealand over a three-month period.

Network results

The findings add to Spark's standing in a market where mobile operators continue to invest in broader coverage, faster speeds and more resilient infrastructure. They also highlight the growing importance of 5G-specific measures, with Spark taking outright wins across all the headline 5G categories in the report.

Shawn Heidel, President, Network Experience Group, Opensignal, linked the outcome to network investment and changing user experience.

"Spark's results this year tell a story of real momentum. Winning Best 5G Network, on the back of outright wins in 5G Reliability, 5G Download, 5G Coverage and Time on 5G, reflects sustained investment in the 5G experience users actually receive. With average download speeds up nearly 60% year on year and time spent on 5G more than doubling, our data shows New Zealanders on Spark are feeling the benefit of that progress every day," Heidel said.

The awards follow a year of continued spending on mobile coverage, capacity and resilience. Over the past 12 months, Spark built 106 new cell sites and upgraded 274 existing sites as it continued shifting customers from older network technologies to 4G and 5G services.

The upgrades are intended to expand Spark's 5G footprint while supporting a wider mobile network that reaches 99% of New Zealanders, according to the operator. Spark also said it is the only mobile network operator in New Zealand with a fully integrated and operational 5G Standalone core.

A 5G Standalone core separates next-generation services from earlier network architecture and is widely seen across the telecoms sector as a step towards more advanced network management. Spark said the platform provides the basis for services such as network slicing and lower-latency connections.

Resilience focus

Spark also pointed to resilience work as a central part of its network programme. In partnership with Connexa and through a government-supported scheme, it is upgrading 295 cell sites with 24-hour battery backup to keep services running longer during power cuts and severe weather.

Mike Paranihi, General Manager of Network and Operations, Spark, said the latest results reflected the impact of those upgrades on everyday use.

"For customers, a great mobile network is not an abstract idea - it is the call that connects, the payment that goes through, and the video meeting that does not drop out.

That experience is built one site and one upgrade at a time. Much of the work happens quietly in the background, but customers notice the difference when their connection is faster, more consistent, and available in more of the places they need it," Paranihi said.

The comments point to a broader competitive issue in telecoms, where operators are judged not only on headline speed tests but also on reliability and continuity in daily use. In geographically dispersed markets such as New Zealand, that often means balancing urban 5G expansion with rural coverage and stronger backup systems.

Spark's latest recognition may also carry weight with business and public sector customers that depend on network uptime, particularly as organisations make greater use of mobile payments, cloud services and video communications. Awards based on independent usage data can serve as a visible benchmark in a market where operators all claim broad national reach.

Paranihi said Spark's network planning was also shaped by the need to maintain service during emergencies and outages.

"We know the network matters most in difficult circumstances. That is why resilience is such an important part of our investment - helping people stay in touch with whānau, emergency services, and their communities during power outages and severe weather.

We are proud of this recognition, but our focus remains on the next improvement. Customer expectations and data use will keep growing, and our job is to keep building a better network New Zealanders can depend on," Paranihi said.