Watching the clock, waiting for a YouTube video to load - the limit of many Kiwis' broadband experience.

Watching the clock, waiting for a YouTube video to load - the limit of many Kiwis' broadband experience.

Broadband is a big issue in this high-tech age, and when we asked readers to speedtest their connections, we did expect to see a wide variety of results.

There were numerous ISPs involved, respondents from all over New Zealand and it provided an eclectic sample that reflects the marketplace.

The results of the survey have sparked a massive reaction - and quite rightly.

It's very easy to shrug off poor line speed - ISPs have been doing it for years. But now we know for sure that there are tens of thousands of other New Zealanders in the same, leaky, broadband boat.

We expect to get what we pay for - and not many of us are happy with the results. Except Don Roberts, who as you will see in this compilation of your many comments is quite "happy with dial-up".

COMMENTS

Kiwi in India

Re the comments of respondents that NZ broadband is third world? Honestly - they wouldn't know what third world was even if it bit them on the ar*#!

What I wouldn't give for a 1 meg connection! And as for your expert saying that anything below 3megs download isn't real broadband - try coming here and saying that and more than likely he would get a well deserved clip around the ears!

I'm sitting here on an ADSL2 network (which should give me download speeds up to 24meg), and I'm 1.5 kms from the exchange. My average download is 243kbs. Only once in the past month have I hit 1meg.

Don't get me wrong - all things considered I'm grateful to have a DSL connection at all, and it only costs 20 bucks a month. If you don't like your connection - stop whining, loosen up your wallet, bypass the whole network, and get a satellite connection. They've only been available in NZ for about a decade (and Ihug would know this since the use to sell it under the Ultra banner - now sold by broadernet). Ihug stopped selling it because no one brought it. Seems most people preferred to get DSL and keep complaining when it wasn't fast enough (hasn't changed really).

Mac, Pakuranga

Very disappointing. I feel the connection speeds have been misrepresented. The "fair usage" policy is a contradiction in terms, fair for whom?
I could understand the pathetic available bandwidth capacity if I were living in a Central African Republic.