Behold, The Fastest Internet Speed In New Zealand

Jun 8, 2021
Broadband
By Staff writer

For businesses and extreme internet users that go heavy on gaming, streaming, downloading, or uploading, Orcon’s 4Gbps hyperfibre broadband plan may already be enough for most of your needs! But if you ever feel like you're gonna need more, they got you covered.

Orcon has recently launched its 8Gbps broadband plan in selected areas across Auckland and Wellington. This is within less than 18 months after they launched their hyperfibre plans with 2-4Gbps initially. While it may seem like overkill, there’s actually a lot of businesses and even some households who subscribe to these plans! 

“We have a range of users on Hyperfibre plans, from design studios, a gaming development company, to an Auckland accountancy firm, as well as some residential addresses who just want the fastest broadband money can buy,” Orcon Chief Executive Officer Taryn Hamilton says. As long as customers need faster plans, providers will always curate better plans for you.

Just how fast is 8Gbps, really? How is this made possible, and is this expensive? Take a look at some things you need to know about Orcon’s 8Gbps hyperfibre broadband plans.

Read: What Is HyperFibre? Everything You Need To Know

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How fast is Orcon’s 8Gbps broadband plan?

It’s 80 times faster than the standard fibre broadband plan at 100Mbps, and 8 times faster than even the gigabit fibre internet plan at 1Gbps! What’s more, you can connect up to 100 devices simultaneously, easy! 

ADSL VDSL Fixed Wireless Standard Fibre Gigabit Fibre Hyperfibre
Download speeds Up to 15Mbps Up to 60Mbps Up to 60Mbps Up to 100Mbps Up to 1Gbps Up to 8Gbps
Upload speeds Up to 1Mbps Up to 10Mbps Up to 10Mbps Up to 20Mbps Up to 450Mbps Up to 8Gbps
Lag potential Likely Likely More likely Least likely Least likely Least likely
Price range $73-109 per month $73-109 per month $45-105 per month $75-88 per month $85-130 per month $149-199 per month
Supported devices 1-2 Up to 5 1-2 More than 10 More than 10 Unlimited
Download time (15GB game update) 2.4 hours 36 minutes 36 minutes 21 minutes 2.4 minutes 32 seconds
Streaming reliability 14% 91% 60% 99% 99% 99%
Online activities Web browsing, emailing, downloading photos and music High-definition streaming, video-calling, uploading large files Web browsing, emailing, video streaming Online gaming, video conferencing, high-definition streaming Online gaming, video conferencing, high-definition streaming Everything you can throw at it, but faster!
Source: Chorus

“History tells us that people will find a way to use bandwidth, so we are happy to provide it, and see what Kiwi ingenuity is applied,” CEO Hamilton says. This is especially true as online activities get more and more demanding for bandwidth. 

For households and businesses that deal with downloading large files as much as 100GB, this can greatly reduce the download time and increase productivity altogether. Uploading files on the cloud, which require heavy bandwidth, can also benefit from this broadband deal.

How are these hyper speeds possible?

These hyper speeds are made possible with Orcon’s four key products. Its CEO categorises these as the backbone of this hyperfibre strategy.

  • Wi-Fi Pro - It uses Google technology that guarantees a strong Wi-Fi signal throughout the home or property
  • Priority Support - It’s a bolt-on that jumps customers’ queues and has any callouts or enquiries prioritised
  • 4G Backup - It’s a service that uses a 4G SIM card built into the modem for redundancy
  • New Hyperfibre offerings

This is part of Orcon’s strategy to overhaul “the future of working and home connectivity in mind.” CEO Hamilton sees that a lot of Kiwis now run their businesses at home, so there’s a greater need for broadband providers to offer more innovative plans that can handle more than streaming and online gaming.

Currently, Orcon’s 8Gbps hyperfibre broadband plan is priced at $274.95 per month. Otherwise, you can also choose their 2Gbps hyperfibre for $149.95 per month and their 4Gbps hyperfibre at $184.95 per month. All of these plans come with a $199 setup fee on a 12-month term.

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Is hyperfibre broadband plans exclusive for businesses?

If you can maximise these speeds and bandwidth for your online needs at home, you can always get this plan as long as it’s available at your address! 

Just this year, Orcon has removed the distinction between their residential and business plans, as the line between household and commercial use isn’t as clear. To upgrade your fibre broadband plan, they offer a $15 add-on to make your connection business-grade. It’s not a speed bump, but it prioritises your enquiries to avoid interruptions as much as possible.

To answer the question, hyperfibre broadband plans aren’t exclusive for businesses. Although, you may have to think twice before getting them in your home. If you’re living with only 3-4 people, a 1Gbps broadband plan may already be enough even for simultaneous use. Make sure that you can fully take advantage of it, especially as it’s not cheap.

Is 8Gbps hyperfibre the fastest internet in New Zealand?

As of today, Orcon’s 8Gbps hyperfibre is the fastest internet available in New Zealand. A big caveat is its limited availability. It's available to almost three million Kiwis throughout the North and South Islands. Testings in Christchurch are also underway this 2021.

Hyperfibre requires the most modern, most advanced technology, which isn’t in place in most areas of the country. The great news is, more and more providers are improving their already-established lines. Best of all, internet companies don’t have to dig up roads that can cause troubles for the community. It’s only a matter of installing new exchanges and lasers.

Who else offers hyperfibre broadband plans? 

MyRepublic, Ultrafast Fibre, and Lightwire also have hyperfibre broadband plans. However, it only maxes out at 4Gbps. Orcon is currently the only provider that offers an 8Gbps broadband plan. Orcon’s CEO explains that the move is an opportunity to create fresher solutions. “We saw a real opportunity to create an ISP straddling the reality of a blended world and offering new and innovative solutions to modern internet problems,” he said.

Look at this list of some of the best and most widely available hyperfibre broadband plans available in New Zealand.

Orcon MyRepublic
Plan HyperFibre 2 HyperFibre 4 HyperFibre 8 Fibre 2000 Fibre 4000 Gamer Fibre 2000 Gamer Fibre 4000
Price $149.95/month $184.95/month $274.95/month $149/month $179/month $159/month $189/month
Data Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Speed 2Gbps 4Gbps 8Gbps 2Gbps 4Gbps 2Gbps 4Gbps
Term 12-month term 12-month term 12-month term 12-month term 12-month term 12-month term 12-month term
Modem Free rental or BYO Free rental or BYO Free rental or BYO ONT/router ONT/router ONT/router ONT/router
Modem postage $14.95 $14.95 $14.95 $249 (includes installation) $249 (includes installation) $249 (includes installation) $249 (includes installation)
Installation fee $199 $199 $199 $249 $249 $249 $249
Termination fee $250 $250 $250 $240 $240 $240 $240

If hyperfibre isn’t available at your address yet, you can check out the fastest broadband plans in your area. If you want the fastest and most reliable internet for your home or business, use our comparison tool, right here at glimp.

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Shane Egan (Popup) , 2023-07-10

Excellent service. Responsive and easy to deal with. Got me an awesome deal on Broadband. Well worth calling to see what they can do. 👍

Jamie Martin , 2023-06-18

Really great service, helped us save about 30% on power plus a free $100 sign up bonus. Very fast and efficient.

Kat W , 2023-06-20

Very helpful and informative. Lovely chatting with them on the phone, helped me find a power supplier, pretty simple and straight forward

Dee Painter , 2023-08-08

So easy to use, very helpful and got a great deal with my power and gas