New Zealand – broadband investments needed to spur ICT growth

New Zealand delivers an improved score on the Connectivity Scorecard 2010 though its ranking remains unchanged at 16th position.

The country reports strong consumer usage and skills, including a high proportion of frequent internet users and good traction for internet banking services. In addition, it also scores highly for its per capita fixed and mobile voice services usage. New Zealand’s performance in consumer infrastructure is shored up by a high share of 3G connections and good tele-density.

The highlights of its business infrastructure include a strong penetration rate of secure internet servers and high proportion of businesses using broadband services. In the area of business usage and skills, New Zealand registers relatively strong performances on the metrics of workforce quality and proportion of businesses with websites. The country also puts up a moderate performance on the government-related metrics.

New Zealand’s performance in fixed broadband deployment is patchy and the country fares weakly compared to neighbor Australia in terms of broadband penetration among households. In addition, the country still has to catch up with its peers in the areas of broadband network speeds and deployment of advanced broadband infrastructure. New Zealand also exhibits a few weaknesses in its business infrastructure, where it needs to boost business investments in ICT capital assets and ICT-related R&D initiatives.

Higher investments in development of broadband infrastructure can fetch rich dividends for New Zealand and help it move into the league of technologically-advanced nations.

New Zealand Connectivity Performance by Scorecard Component