Spark increases the price of most broadband plans by up to $5 a month

Thursday, 16 June 2022

Spark fibre and copper broadband customers are set to face a $3 to $5 hike in the price of their monthly internet bill.

This would increase the price of an unlimited Spark broadband plan to $65 per month.

In a letter to affected customers on Thursday, Spark said additional charges from fibre and copper network companies and other rising costs were to blame for the rise in prices.

Spark spokesperson Samantha Smith​ said the company had no current plans to increase the price of fibre and copper broadband plans again this year.

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Smith​ said the number of customers involved was commercially sensitive, but all fibre and copper consumer and small business broadband plans would be affected.

In 2018, a similar price increase affected almost 350,000 homes.

Wireless broadband customers were not affected.

Now was a good time for customers to review their broadband plan, to make sure they were not using more data than they were paying for, she said.

Chris Walsh​, lead researcher at MoneyHub, said Spark’s decision to raise prices was probably more down to inflationary pressures than an industry-wide shift.

“With cost pressures everywhere, Spark is responding although many New Zealanders may wonder if more is to come,” Walsh​ said.

MoneyHub had been closely monitoring broadband deals and did not see much pricing innovation within the main providers, he said.

The cheapest way to save on broadband continued to be to look for a discounted deal, he said.

CORRECTION: This story has been amended to clarify that the price of fibre and copper broadband internet services will increase, and that the increase is between $3 and $5 a month, not $5 a month across both services as previously reported. (Amended at 11.47am, June 17, 2022)