Internet data caps on the rise - Stats NZ

New Zealanders are opting for Internet plans that allow them to use larger quantities of data, Statistics New Zealand said today.

Over three-quarters of broadband connections now have data caps of 20 gigabytes (GB) or more. The largest increase occurred in the 50–100GB range, which rose 117 percent from 2012 to 300,000 connections in 2013.

“The Internet is becoming a bigger part of everyday life. As such, we’re opting for bigger data caps to accommodate our ever-expanding virtual lives,” information and communication technology statistics manager Hamish Hill said.

Another factor: ISPs have started to up the caps on their average plans, so people can use more data without worrying about going over the limit and either being charged extra or getting their speed throttled.

The most popular data cap range was between 20 and 50GB, at over 800,000 connections. This is reflected in the average monthly usage of 23GB across all connections.

“With 23GB of data, you could stream high-definition videos for about an hour every day of the month, and still have some to spare,” Mr Hill said.

“It’s not only data volumes that are changing. There has also been a shift in the quality of the connections we are using. Download speeds continue to increase, in part due to changes in connection types. We’re seeing greater access to improved DSL connections over traditional copper lines, as well as expanding cellular and fibre technologies.”

These figures come from the 2013 annual Internet Service Provider Survey, which covers all Internet service providers in New Zealand.

The survey also found:

• Connections with a data cap of 50 gigabytes (GB) or more have almost doubled, to reach to half a million.
• The number of fibre optic connections jumped from 5,400 to 13,000, a 141 percent increase (albeit within the context that 300,000 customers are now within reach of UFB fibre)
• Mobile handset Internet connections increased one-quarter to reach 3.2 million connections.
• As dial-up continues to fall, broadband remains the dominant connection choice, making up 95 percent of Internet connections.
• The average amount of data consumed per broadband connection is now 23GB a month.