KEY POINTS:
InternetNZ today welcomed news that the number of broadband subscribers has overtaken their dial-up counterparts, but said broadband connections were still too slow.
Figures released by Statistics New Zealand today showed broadband subscribers had increased by 14.4 per cent to 829,300 in the six months since September 2007.
Subscribers to dial-up connections dropped 8.6 per cent from March 2007 to 675,800.
InternetNZ executive director Keith Davidson said people wanted faster internet and dial-up was not delivering.
"Dial-up is no longer adequate for accessing some of the most useful content and services on the internet - it just isn't fast Mr Davidson went on to say current broadband services were also insufficient.
"Many of the broadband offerings we have today are still not up to scratch and New Zealand has a long way to go to claim real broadband."
However, he said, regulatory changes to the Telecommunications Act would initiate an increasing diversity of consumer options in a competitive market.
"Existing and potential broadband subscribers expect greater certainty in terms of actual speeds, reliability, and costs."
- NZPA
