Internet usage boom tipped for NZ

It is expected that 88pc of NZs population will be regular internet users in four years, and wi-fi and mobile device use will make up 79pc. Photo / Thinkstock

By 2019, there will be at least 35 million devices connected to the internet in New Zealand - more than seven per person, and this is predicted to boost internet use significantly according to new research by IT company Cisco.

The tenth Cisco Visual Networking Index which looks at trends in internet usage, said its research pointed to huge increases in internet traffic, mobile usage, the number of connected devices and the consumption of data and video per person in the next four years. Cisco New Zealand country manager Geoff Lawrie said the business sector needed to be prepared for the opportunities this presented them with.

"Online connectivity, particularly those driven by mobile and social platforms, is already one of the most important ways to keep in touch with your customers, workers, partners and others," Lawrie said. "If you don't, someone else will."

The index predicts internet traffic will increase two and a half times by 2019, driven by the growth in connected devices and the internet of everything - the idea that everything from mobile to electronics such as television and even kitchen appliances could be connected to the internet.

It is expected that 88 per cent of New Zealand's population will be regular internet users in four years, and wi-fi and mobile device use will make up 79 per cent of this.

Lawrie said although businesses had been aware of this growth, they were not prepared to take advantage of it, and with faster internet speeds, consumers would be online for more hours of the day with businesses that weren't prepared for this, risking having lower customer satisfaction.

"The numbers and trends are clear and sometimes quite amazing," Lawrie said. "Whether you look at the average number of connected devices per person by 2019 (more than seven), or consumer mobile data traffic growing seven-fold, or consumer internet video growing 2.9-fold, the opportunities and threats to every business are significant," he said.

"As New Zealand positions itself in the 21st century to compete globally, it is more important than ever that it builds the appropriate smart, connected digital infrastructure."

Figures:

• In 2019, the gigabyte equivalent of all movies ever made will cross New Zealand's IP networks every 22 hours

• New Zealand internet traffic in 2019 will be equivalent to 177x the volume of the entire New Zealand internet in 2005

• In New Zealand, mobile data traffic will grow 7-fold from 2014 to 2019, a compound annual growth rate of 48 per cent

• In New Zealand, there will be 35 million networked devices in 2019, up from 17.5 million in 2014

• In New Zealand, the average internet user will generate 42.5 gigabytes of internet traffic per month in 2019, up 128 per cent from 18.6 gigabytes per month in 2014

• New Zealand's Business IP traffic grew 20 per cent in 2014