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High Speed Broadband

In New Zealand we are privileged in that most of us can afford to purchase a computer and have access to the World Wide Web via broadband.

There have been some developments in the broadband market recently which are very exciting and promise to bring new, much faster services to New Zealand customers. This is called ADSL 2

What is ADSL?

ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. This is 'Nerd Speak' for a high speed internet connection that uses a phone line to provide internet access.

ADSL allows you to surf the web, download files, send emails and watch videos much faster and easier than other types of connections e.g. dial-up. The other advantage of ADSL is that it does not tie-up your phone line. This means you can make and receive phone calls and faxes while you browse the internet.

What's new?

Telecom has recently begun rolling out ADSL2 across New Zealand. They are connecting up main centres with a brand new fibre-optic cable network to spread ADSL2 around the country. Other broadband providers who use Telecom's network should also get the upgrade.

ADSL2 and ADSL2+ offer download speeds of up to 24 megabits per second (mbps). By comparison the older ADSL network can deliver speeds of up to 7.6mbps so ADSL2 is up to 3 times as fast! This means at full speed you could download a video faster than you could watch it!

ADSL2+ also offers the potential for even faster speeds as more of the network is upgraded. This means that you will be able to surf the web and watch videos online faster than ever before.

However, as with ADSL, the speeds you receive on ADSL2 and ADSL2+ will be affected by the quality of your phone line and modem, distance from the local phone exchange and other factors.

What do I need?

In order to get ADSL2/2+ you will need to meet a few criteria. You must live within 2 km of your local Telecom phone exchange, have an ADSL2 capable modem (which most modems purchased within the last year are) and have a broadband band plan that allows ADSL2

You can check when or if your address is within the ADSL2 capable network at http://www.telecom.co.nz/adsltwoplus

To find out if your modem/router supports ADSL2/2+, check out the manufacturer's website.

To find out if your broadband plan supports ADSL2/2+, contact your broadband provider.