New Zealand
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumers' connectivity experiences. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding what happens when people use their mobile and broadband connections in their daily life.
New Zealand
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumers' connectivity experiences. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding what happens when people use their mobile and broadband connections in their daily life.
Key Findings
2degrees leads the awards count in New Zealand
With five outright and five joint wins across 14 categories, 2degrees wins the most awards in the October 2025 report. 2degrees wins Games Experience, Upload Speed Experience, 5G Video Experience, 5G Games Experience, and 5G Upload Speed outright. It shares joint wins for Video Experience, 5G Download Speed, Availability, Consistent Quality, and Reliability Experience. This award haul underscores the operator’s well-rounded strength across network performance and user experience.
One NZ retains win for Download Speed Experience
Once again, One NZ claims the Download Speed Experience Award outright with a score of 80.7 Mbps. One NZ also claims a sole win for 5G Availability (14.0%) after splitting it with 2degrees in the last report. In this report, One NZ also jointly wins Video Experience, 5G Download Speed, Consistent Quality and Reliability Experience for a total of two outright wins and four shared wins.
Spark retains outright win for Coverage Experience
Spark continues to have the widest and largest footprint of coverage nationally out of all mobile operators in New Zealand. Spark’s Coverage Experience score increased from 9.0 in the last report to 9.1 in this report. However, One NZ has narrowed the gap, improving its score from 8.2 to 8.5.
Spark improves leadership in coverage-related categories
In addition to the outright win in Coverage Experience, Spark is the sole winner for 5G Coverage Experience, seizing it from the previous joint winner One NZ. This dominance in the Coverage related metrics underscores Spark’s ability to provide a dependable connection for users throughout New Zealand’s diverse geography.
2degrees wins Games Experience outright
2degrees pulls away from One NZ with a win in the Games Experience metric in this years’ report. The two operators tied in the previous report with 2degrees improving its score to 76.9 points.
One NZ leads 5G Availability across New Zealand’s regions.
After sharing the top spot in the previous report, One NZ now takes the outright lead in 5G Availability across four of seven regions — Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, and Wellington. In the remaining regions — Manawatu-Wanganui, Otago, and Waikato — One NZ continues to perform strongly, sharing the win with Spark.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
2degrees leads the October 2025 Opensignal report in New Zealand, taking the top spot with five outright and five joint wins across 14 categories, underscoring its well-rounded network strength. One NZ continues to excel, retaining its Download Speed Experience award with 80.7 Mbps and reclaiming sole leadership in 5G Availability, alongside four joint wins. Spark remains the clear leader in coverage, winning both Coverage Experience and 5G Coverage Experience outright, while it shares the winners’ podium three times.
Spark has secured a long-term exclusive agreement for 20 MHz of of Tū Ātea’s C-band spectrum, boosting its deployable 5G spectrum to 100 MHz and overall spectrum to 350 MHz.The operator has also recently announced it would delay the shutdown of its 3G network to March 2026 to ensure a smooth transition for customers — a key topic we’ve explored further in our analysis of 3G shutdowns in New Zealand
Elsewhere, operators are exploring new ways to expand rural and remote coverage. 2degrees has partnered with AST SpaceMobile and One NZ has announced plans to collaborate with Starlink, both aiming to extend mobile connectivity via satellite technology. These initiatives could significantly enhance coverage in underserved regions. These partnerships come after Spark announced its partnership with Lynk to offer direct to cell satellite service back in 2023.
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the three main mobile network operators in New Zealand — 2degrees, One NZ and Spark — over a period of 90 days starting on June 1, 2025, and ending on August 29, 2025, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
In the previous report, 2degrees took the top spot. This time, 2degrees, One NZ and Spark all share the Video Experience award, with statistically tied scores of 670–67.8 points on a 100-point scale — around one point ahead of Spark’s 66.5 points.
All operators fall into the Good (58–68) category, meaning users can typically stream video at 720p or better, with smooth loading and minimal stalling.
Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users' real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Video Experience quantifies the quality of video streamed to mobile devices by measuring real-world video streams over an operator's networks. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate video experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the overall video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
In addition to Video Experience, we report on the following metrics related to video experience:
- 5G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Video Experience – 5G Users: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G video experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users on an operator’s 3G network.
National Analysis
In the previous report, One NZ and 2degrees shared the Games Experience award. This time, 2degrees pulls ahead to win outright with a score of 76.9 points on a 100-point scale
2degrees and One NZ place in the Good (75–85) category, while Spark ranks one level lower, in Fair (65–75).
A Good (75-85) rating means that most users deem the experience acceptable. The gameplay experience is generally controllable and the user receives immediate feedback between their actions and the outcomes in the game. Most users do not experience a delay between their actions and the game.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator’s network. Measured on a scale of 0-100, it analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience is affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter.
Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world.
Calculating Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games. The score is then measured on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Games Experience, we report on the following metrics related to games experience:
- 5G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Games Experience – 5G Users: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G games experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO) network.
National Analysis
One NZ retains its lead in Download Speed Experience, winning outright with an average speed of 80.7 Mbps — 14 Mbps ahead of Spark.
Definitions
Measured in Mbps, Download Speed Experience represents the typical everyday speeds a user experiences across an operator’s mobile data networks.
In addition to Download Speed Experience, we report on the following metrics related to download speeds:
- 5G Download Speed: The average download speed observed by Opensignal users with active 5G connections.
- Download Speed Experience – 5G Users: The average download speeds experienced by Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator’s networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G download speeds along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Download Speed: The average downlink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 4G.
- 3G Download Speed: The average downlink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO).
National Analysis
2degrees remains the leader in Upload Speed Experience, winning outright with a score of 11.9 Mbps, beatingOne NZ and Spark.
Definitions
Upload Speed Experience measures the average upload speeds for each operator observed by our users across their mobile data networks. Typically upload speeds are slower than download speeds, as current mobile broadband technologies focus resources on providing the best possible download speed for users consuming content on their devices. As mobile internet trends move away from downloading content to creating content and supporting real-time communications services, upload speeds are becoming more vital and new technologies are emerging that boost upstream capacity.
In addition to Upload Speed Experience, we report on five supporting metrics related to upload speeds:
- 5G Upload Speed: The average upload speed observed by Opensignal users with active 5G connections.
- Upload Speed Experience – 5G Users: The average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator’s networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G upload speeds along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Upload Speed: The average uplink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 4G.
- 3G Upload Speed: The average uplink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO).
Regional Analysis
Regional Analysis Summary: New Zealand, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2025
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- Auckland
- Bay of Plenty
- Canterbury
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- Manawatu-Wanganui
- Otago
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- Waikato
- Wellington
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in Bay of Plenty
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in Manawatu-Wanganui
in Manawatu-Wanganui
in Otago
in Otago
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in Waikato
in Waikato
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5G Experience
National Analysis
2degrees keeps its advantage in 5G Video Experience, winning outright with a score of 75.6 points on a 100-point scale — around two points ahead of statistically tied One NZ and Spark.
All operators place in the Very Good (68-78) category. This means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
5G Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users' real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
Definitions
5G Video Experience quantifies the quality of mobile video experienced by Opensignal users on real-world video streams when they were connected to 5G. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate 5G Video Experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the video experience observed by our users on each operator’s 5G network on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
National Analysis
2degrees continues to lead in 5G Games Experience, winning outright with a score of 86.4 points on a 100-point scale. It places in the Excellent (85 or above) category, while One NZ and Spark place one category lower, in Good (75-85).
An Excellent (85 or above) rating means that the vast majority of users deem this network experience acceptable. Nearly all users feel like they have control over the game and they receive immediate feedback on their actions. There is not a noticeable delay in almost all cases.
Definitions
5G Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator's 5G network. It analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience was affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter. 5G Games Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
5G Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world. Calculating 5G Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games.
National Analysis
One NZ joins 2degrees on the winners’ podium for 5G Download Speed Experience, as both operators jointly win with scores of 307.3-311.6 Mbps.
Definitions
5G Download Speed shows the average download speed experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Download Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
National Analysis
2degrees maintains its lead in 5G Upload Speed Experience, winning outright with an average of 29.5 Mbps, 7 Mbps ahead of the runner-up One NZ.
Definitions
5G Upload Speed measures the average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Upload Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
Regional Analysis
Regional Analysis Summary: New Zealand, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2025
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- Auckland
- Bay of Plenty
- Canterbury
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J-R
- Manawatu-Wanganui
- Otago
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- Waikato
- Wellington
in Auckland
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in Bay of Plenty
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in Canterbury
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in Manawatu-Wanganui
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Coverage
National Analysis
Spark continues to lead in Coverage Experience, winning outright with a score of 9.1 points on a 10-point scale — one point ahead of One NZ (8.5) and more than one point ahead of 2degrees (8.0).
All three operators have seen small gains of less than one point compared to the previous report.
Definitions
The Opensignal Coverage Experience metric measures the extent of mobile networks in the places people live, work and travel. The metric represents the experience users receive as they travel around areas where they would reasonably expect to find coverage.
Traditional coverage metrics typically estimate either a percentage of land area covered, or a percentage of population covered; often neither will be an accurate measurement of the true user expectation and experience. In many markets there are areas where neither population density nor geographic area reflect the importance of coverage to users. For example, in a large mountain range most users will not expect coverage in the wilderness, but poor coverage in the relatively small area of a ski resort is critical for the enjoyment of a holiday. Estimates based purely on population give undue significance to coverage in the most densely populated areas.
Coverage Experience measures geographic coverage of populated areas and therefore more accurately reflects the coverage expectations and experience of typical users. It can give a result that is somewhat different to traditional estimates based on either geographic or population measures. The metric uses a scale from 0 to 10.
National Analysis
Spark moves into first place for 5G Coverage Experience, ahead of the previous sole winner One NZ. winning outright with a score of 5 points on a 10-point scale. One NZ is the runner up, with a score of 4.8 points, well above 2degrees (3.1 points).
All three operators have improved by roughly one point since the previous report.
Definitions
The Opensignal Coverage Experience metric measures the extent of mobile networks in the places people live, work and travel. The metric represents the experience users receive as they travel around areas where they would reasonably expect to find coverage.
Traditional coverage metrics typically estimate either a percentage of land area covered, or a percentage of population covered; often neither will be an accurate measurement of the true user expectation and experience. In many markets there are areas where neither population density nor geographic area reflect the importance of coverage to users. For example, in a large mountain range most users will not expect coverage in the wilderness, but poor coverage in the relatively small area of a ski resort is critical for the enjoyment of a holiday. Estimates based purely on population give undue significance to coverage in the most densely populated areas.
Coverage Experience measures geographic coverage of populated areas and therefore more accurately reflects the coverage expectations and experience of typical users. It can give a result that is somewhat different to traditional estimates based on either geographic or population measures. The metric uses a scale from 0 to 10.
5G Coverage Experience shows the proportion of places Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription had an active 5G connection.
National Analysis
Spark and 2degrees continue to share the Availability award, with statistically tied scores of 99.4–99.5% — giving them a narrow lead of less than one percentage point over One NZ’s 99.2%.
These figures represent the proportion of time Opensignal users spend with a 5G, 4G, or 3G mobile signal.
Definitions
Our availability metrics are not a measure of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our availability data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
Availability shows the proportion of time all Opensignal users on an operator’s network had either a 3G, 4G or 5G connection.
National Analysis
One NZ breaks out of a statistical tie it was in the previous report with 2degrees and wins the 5G Availability award outright, scoring 14%, around three percentage points ahead of statistically-tied Spark and 2degrees.
Since the previous report, One NZ’s score has risen by four percentage points, Spark’s by three, and 2degrees’ by two.
Definitions
Our availability metrics are not a measure of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our availability data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
5G Availability shows the proportion of time Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription had an active 5G connection.
Regional Analysis
Regional Analysis Summary: New Zealand, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2025
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A-I
- Auckland
- Bay of Plenty
- Canterbury
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J-R
- Manawatu-Wanganui
- Otago
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S-Z
- Waikato
- Wellington
in Auckland
in Auckland
in Bay of Plenty
in Bay of Plenty
in Canterbury
in Canterbury
in Manawatu-Wanganui
in Manawatu-Wanganui
in Otago
in Otago
in Waikato
in Waikato
in Wellington
in Wellington
Consistency
National Analysis
One NZ replaces Spark as a joint winner for Consistent Quality, sharing the award with 2degrees with the previous joint winner 2degrees with statistically tied scores of 71.6-71.6% — beating third-placed Spark by around seven percentage points..
This metric measures if the network is sufficient to support common mobile application requirements at a level that is ‘good enough’ for users to maintain (or complete) various typical demanding tasks on their devices. It assesses a number of experience indicators such as download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet loss, and time to first byte.
Definitions
Consistent Quality measures if the network is sufficient to support common mobile application requirements at a level that is ‘good enough’ for users to maintain (or complete) various typical tasks on their devices.
We combine different experience indicators such as download throughput, upload throughput, latency, jitter, packet discard, and time to first byte to calculate Consistent Quality. These components are evaluated against thresholds recommended by various more demanding common applications used for a range of common tasks.
To calculate the metric value, the proportion of tests that pass the requirements of Consistent Quality is multiplied by the test success ratio, which is the proportion of completed tests to all tests conducted. Tests that pass indicate that activities such as video calling, uploading an image to social media, or using smart home applications will be possible without noticeable lag or slowdown.
National Analysis
In the previous report, Spark took home the Reliability Award. In this report, all three operators share the Reliability Experience award with statistically tied scores of 886-898 points on a 100-1000 point scale.
One NZ’s and 2degrees improved their scores since the last report, while Spark’s result remains broadly unchanged.
Opensignal’s Reliability Experience measures the ability of our users to connect to and successfully complete basic tasks on operators’ networks. It consists of the following components:
a) Signal Availability — the proportion of time Opensignal users can successfully receive mobile network signal,
b) Data Connectivity — the proportion of time when the network is available and the device can connect to the internet,
c) Task Completion — whether tasks initiated by the user’s device are completed,
d) Sufficiency — the probability that (basic) tasks will be executed sufficiently well for the user.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Reliability Experience measures the ability of Opensignal users to connect to and successfully complete (basic) tasks on communication service providers’ (CSP) networks. It analyzes how much Opensignal users’ experience is affected by the radio access and core network, along with issues that prevent them from connecting to the internet even if they have a connection to their CSP’s network. It also factors in users’ ability to successfully use lower performance applications including SD video, over-the-top voice calls and web browsing.
Regional Analysis
Regional Analysis Summary: New Zealand, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2025
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A-I
- Auckland
- Bay of Plenty
- Canterbury
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J-R
- Manawatu-Wanganui
- Otago
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S-Z
- Waikato
- Wellington
in Auckland
in Auckland
in Bay of Plenty
in Bay of Plenty
in Canterbury
in Canterbury
in Manawatu-Wanganui
in Manawatu-Wanganui
in Otago
in Otago
in Waikato
in Waikato
in Wellington
in Wellington
Related Analysis
Our Methodology
Collecting billions of individual measurements daily from over 100 million devices globally, Opensignal independently analyzes mobile and broadband user experience on every major network operator around the globe.
About Opensignal
Opensignal is the leading global provider of independent insights into consumers' connectivity experiences and choice of carrier. Our proprietary insights into mobile and broadband networks give operators the solutions they need to profitably compete and win, from executive level scorecards and public validation to pin-point level engineering analytics and consumer decision dynamics.
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Confidence Intervals
For every metric we calculate statistical confidence intervals indicated on our graphs. When confidence intervals overlap, our measured results are too close to declare a winner. In those cases, we show a statistical draw. For this reason, some metrics have multiple operator winners.
In our bar graphs we represent confidence intervals as boundaries on either sides of graph bars.
In our supporting-metric charts we show confidence intervals as +/- numerical values.
Why confidence intervals are vital in analyzing mobile network experience