Greater broadband flexibility means some Spark customers should now be able to save on their data bill each month.
The company has launched a new kind of broadband plan, called the Unplan, that offers discounted pricing to customers who use only small amounts of data in any one month.
It works like this: a customer who would usually pay $85 a month for unlimited fibre broadband would be charged $10 less if he or she used between 60 gigabytes and 120Gb of data in any one month – and $20 less if they use less than 60Gb, when they sign up for a 12-month Unplan.
Taking a more customer-centric approach, Spark says it recognises that "life never stays the same," so designed Unplan to offer savings to existing unlimited broadband users who have varying levels of broadband usage – and who can then make a saving.
It could also be a great option for capped broadband users who sometimes see usage spike, such as when friends and family come to stay.
Dubbed "New Zealand's first broadband plan that flexes with you," Unplan is available on fibre and wireless broadband and gives new and existing customers a user-pays approach based on monthly usage - providing the freedom to use more when you need it and to save when you use less.
Unplan is aimed at both unlimited and capped fibre broadband customers, as well as those on its wireless plans.
Every month Unplan automatically moves customers between three price tiers based on usage: $65 for less than 60Gb, $75 for between 60Gb and 120Gb, and $85 for usage above 120Gb. Fibre customers get unlimited data, wireless broadband customers have some restrictions (they can regularly use up to 180Gb or up to 300Gb on a one-off basis.)
According to Statistics New Zealand, more than 70 per cent of broadband users have unlimited internet, yet about half of Spark's fibre customers varied their broadband usage significantly from month to month. With the Unplan, those customers now have the chance to get some money back in those months where they use less.
At the other end of the price scale, customers on a capped plan could risk running out of data midway through a blockbusting series like The Handmaid's Tale on Lightbox, having to pay more to catch the last few episodes. On the Unplan, they can enjoy the series , safe in the knowledge there is a maximum price they will pay.
Spark says Unplan's flexibility will be popular with Kiwis. Customers won't have to pay any more than $65 to keep their broadband connection going when they are away at weekends or enjoying summer outdoors with friends and family, as long as they use less than 60Gb.
They will have cost certainty (and unlimited data on fibre) during wetter months spent on the sofa for movie marathons or when the family comes to stay.
As the broadband habits of Kiwis show an increasing appetite for online content – thanks to the rise of Netflix and other streaming video services – timing for Unplan couldn't be better.
Speaking of movies, customers can include the best of the world's entertainment to the plan called Unplan Entertainment. This option also has three pricing tiers based on usage. It includes Lightbox for the life of the plan and Netflix for six months. For more information click here.