KEY POINTS:
Internet broadband subscriber numbers increased nearly 30 per cent in the six months to September 30, Statistics New Zealand said today.
The total number of internet subscribers was almost 1.4 million at September 30.
Results from SNZ's internet Service Provider Survey for September 2006 showed the number of dial-up subscribers fell further, with 5.1 per cent fewer subscribers than at the end of March 2006.
The number of broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants grew from 9.0 to 14.7 in the year ended September.
The growth in broadband users helped New Zealand jump from 22nd to 19th on the OECD June 2006 ranking.
Of all broadband subscribers, 97.6 per cent had a data allowance cap on their subscription, with over two thirds having a cap of under 5GB.
In the 18 months to September 2006, 34 per cent fewer internet service providers reported that the regulatory environment relating to telecommunications had been a barrier to growth in the previous two years.
- NZPA
