Dial-up dying off as broadband use surges

Kiwis are ditching dial-up in droves as broadband uptake finally gets out of the slow lane.

The number of people on broadband internet service has overtaken dial-up for the first time, Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) says.

SNZ's six-monthly internet Service Provider Survey for September 2007 found the number of broadband subscribers went up 14.4 per cent to 829,300, in the six months to September 2007 and overtook dial-up subscribers.

Subscribers with a dial-up connection fell 8.6 per cent from March 2007 to 675,800.

The survey also found there was a 47 per cent increase in the number of internet service providers who said the cost of international bandwidth had halted growth in the past two years.

Statistic New Zealand spokesman Gary Dunnet told nzherald.co.nz this morning that is difficult to compare the numbers from the survey with overseas studies.

Mobile data, 3G wireless cards and other forms of mobile internet access skewed the data when compared to OECD figures.

- NZPA