Computerworld

Analysis: TelstraClear's DSL service gets top ranking

Tests measuring the performance of DSL services found the other ISPs some way behind TelstraClear

TelstraClear’s DSL service has been ranked as the top broadband service in New Zealand, according to a broadband performance analysis conducted by UK-based internet measurement company Epitiro.

Epitiro, which has also analysed broadband standards in the UK and other parts of the world, conducted tests in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, measuring the performance of the DSL services of the five largest ISPs – Xtra, TCL, ihug, Orcon and Slingshot. Tests were run every fifteen minutes, 24 hours a day, from 20 July to 10 September. Over 15,000 individual tests were made.

Slingshot was the runner-up and Orcon came in third.

“It’s fair to say TCL's DSL broadband performance is out on its own,” says Epitiro's local managing director, Michael Cranna. “The other four largest ISPs are some way behind, performance-wise.”

“[TCL] is actually fractionally above the UK's average ISP performance."

Epitiro's methodology measures factors such as speed and reliability of internet connections, how long it takes to connect to the internet, downloads, uploads and the performance of both ping and DNS lookups.

The analysis found that ongoing issues with Telecom’s network dragged down the performance of some ISPs, says Cranna.

On the other hand, Epitiro’s data showed that some ISPs are not managing their traffic as efficiently as others, or purchasing enough international bandwidth to cope with peak demand, he says.