Whanganui fibre usage soars after entering Level 4 lockdown

Whanganui's fibre usage spiked on Wednesday evening, the first night of Level 4 lockdown. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui's demand for fibre broadband doubled in 24 hours as the country moved into level 4 lockdown.

Usage was at normal rates on Monday and Tuesday but more than double by Wednesday evening, the first day of lockdown.

At 4pm on Monday usage was at around 15 gigabits per second. At 4pm on Wednesday, that had increased to 32 gigabits per second.

Demand reached its peak at around 11pm on Wednesday evening, topping out at around 38 gigabits.

Of Ultrafast Fibre's 36 network areas Whanganui accounted for seven per cent of total network traffic.

Usage slightly dropped on Thursday compared to Wednesday, but was still 10 gigabits more than on Monday or Tuesday.

"We are delighted to see our Whanganui community seamlessly transition to effective work and learn from home," Ultrafast Fibre chief executive John Hanna said.

"This new peak is greater demand than experienced in either the Rugby World Cup or 2020's first national lockdown and shows just how vital reliable online connectivity has become."

Hanna said although there was record overall network peak on Wednesday and Thursday, there was no need to worry as there was about double the capacity if required.

"Naturally we are observing all the Government protocols and putting the health and safety of our people, our partners, customers and the general public first and focusing primarily on protecting the network to ensure everyone can stay online.

"We look forward to being back in the business of connecting new customers as soon as we can, but in the meantime it is a privilege to serve the Whanganui community at this challenging time."