New Zealand Free ISPs

Blog Date: 28-11-04

In New Zealand it remains a mystery whether or not there are any actually free ISPs (Internet Service Providers). Everyone can remember when we all used Zfree, a former NZ ISP that offered unlimited free Internet access. Although this service was relatively slow and at busy hours usually returned with a “the number you have dialled is busy” message the fact was that it was FREE. When free Internet in New Zealand, as we knew it, shutdown we had to search for new ISPs.

The question remains, “is there a free ISP in NZ”. People searching for free or just reliable services constantly confront me with this tough question.

Broadband Internet opposed to narrowband (Dial-up) Internet has launched in New Zealand and is already extensively popular throughout the Islands. Free Broadband Internet is more like a dream to most of us and is economically unreasonable and impossible at present. A good broadband connection and services will cost you $40-$60 where dial-up 56.6KB Internet is dropping in popularity and hence the price is falling to where Slingshot offers flat rate internet for only $9.95 per month.

Internet users like fast connection speeds, it’s a fact, and so a new question arises “Would anyone use free ISPs?” Apart from the higher price of broadband there is no other advantage that dialup Internet offers. People who can not afford the extra $20 or $30 will want to pay less for their ISP and if free was an option they would generally go for it. ISPs such as www.free.net.nz offer free internet access only if it is a toll call when you dial-up which makes it not free unless you have a deal with your telecommunications provider in which you get toll calls free. Always read the small print and all pages of the ISPs website to ensure that they are actually free.

My personal opinion is to stick with pay services as you are guaranteed to not get the annoying busy signal and handy options are supplied such as personal web space, email and SPAM filtering at no extra cost. A good trick is to sign up for a trial of the services so you can test how actually stable and essentially “free” they are. If this option isn’t provided then send an email requesting a trial, most ISPs are willing to meet the requirements of interested users.

Source: Personal Blog