Announcing the Finalists for the Broadband Compare Awards

Announcing the Finalists for the Broadband Compare TUANZ Awards

10 October 2018

The finalists for the 2018 Broadband Compare TUANZ Awards have been announced today.

Following the success of the inaugural Broadband Compare Awards last year, Gavin Male, founder and CEO of Broadband Compare, says "We were delighted by the number of brands and companies that participated in this year’s awards. There has been a huge increase in entry numbers and the level of competition for 2018 has been intense. The judges have been impressed by the quality of entrants and selecting the winners from these finalists will be a tough task!”

Winners of the Broadband Compare TUANZ Awards 2018 will be announced at an awards evening taking place at the Orange Coronation Ballroom on November 8th 2018. The event is expected to sell out and tickets are available to purchase at https://www.broadbandawards.co.nz.

Male continues, "It is fantastic to see such a diverse range of finalists recognised and as the broadband market in New Zealand matures we are seeing better connectivity, greater diversity in products and an increase in competition across the market. We have seen entries from the full range of broadband providers in 2018 - from the big established players like Spark, Vodafone and 2degrees to the smaller, regional focussed providers like NOW, Primo Wireless and megaTEL. These finalists represent what Broadband Compare and TUANZ advocate for - high quality connectivity across New Zealand at fair, competitive prices. These companies exemplify those qualities and should be commended for their achievements. It’s brilliant to see such a great cross section of organisations shortlisted for the big night!”

Following feedback from last year’s awards two new categories were included for 2018. Craig Young, CEO TUANZ said: "It was extremely encouraging to see the range of entrants in two of our new categories, NZ Wholesaler of the Year and Best Specialist Broadband Provider. Both new categories fit well with TUANZ’s goal to advocate for ubiquitous high-quality connectivity across New Zealand. The Wholesale category recognises the importance of a strong and reliable service from our Broadband Wholesalers. And, the Best Specialist Provider recognises the providers who are offering a unique product to meet the needs of New Zealanders.”

THE FINALISTS FOR BROADBAND COMPARE TUANZ AWARDS 2018 ARE:

NZ Wholesaler of the Year - Sponsored by Crown Infrastructure Partners

This award is for the strongest overall Wholesale Broadband provider in New Zealand.

Finalists:

- Enable Networks Limited

- Vocus Communications

Best Fibre Broadband Provider - Sponsored by Chorus

This award is for the strongest overall Fibre Broadband service provider in New Zealand.

Finalists:

- Voyager

- Orcon Fibre

- NOW NZ LTD

- Stuff Fibre

Best Bundled Plan

Open to NZ ISPs and organisations who provide at least one ‘bundled’ broadband service to NZ consumers or organisations. A bundle plan must consist of a broadband connection with another core service, product or feature e.g. landline, mobile or power service.

Finalists:

- Trustpower Ltd

- Slingshot

- MegaTEL

Best Customer Support

This award will be presented to the New Zealand broadband provider that best demonstrates a commitment to providing excellent customer service.

Finalists:

- Trustpower

- 2 Degrees

- NOW NZ LTD

- Wireless Nation

- Voyager

Best Service Provider under 10,000 customers - Sponsored by S.L.I.C.E. Digital

This award is for the best Internet Service Provider in New Zealand who serviced less than 10,000 connected customers in the previous 12 months.

Finalists:

- Megatel

- Kiwilink

- Solarix

Best Rural Service Provider

This award is for the strongest overall Rural Service Provider in New Zealand. This category is open to New Zealand ISPs and organisations who provide or support broadband services specific to rural customers.

Finalists:

- Primo

- Wireless Nation

- Farmside

Best Broadband Innovation - Sponsored by Prysmian Group

This award will be presented to the NZ business or organisation that demonstrates the biggest innovation within the NZ Broadband sector of the last 12 months.

Finalists:

- Spark NZ

- 2degrees Mobile Ltd

- Compass Communications

- Vodafone NZ

Best Specialist Broadband Provider

This award is for the strongest, Specialist Broadband Plan provider in New Zealand. A specialist provider is any plan created and marketed for a specific NZ audience - this could be a Business Broadband plan, Gaming Broadband or a Budget Broadband option.

Finalists:

- Orcon

- Network for Learning (N4L)

- Stuff Fibre

Broadband Compare People's Choice Award 2018

This award is for the ISP who is voted the best overall service provider by the NZ Public and the winner will be announced on the night.

TUANZ NZ Broadband Provider of the Year

This is the supreme award chosen by the Judges from the winners of the other categories, excluding the Broadband Compare People's Choice Award, and will be announced on the night.

ENDS

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