Feeling frustrated that fibre isn’t at your place yet? When we spoke to some Kiwis on the Chorus network, we found that while over one third of those on basic ADSL are waiting to move to fibre, many didn’t know there is a better broadband option available right now. Better broadband could be available to you straight away with Chorus fast VDSL.

VDSL is part copper, part fibre. It uses the Chorus network to bring fibre no further than 1,200 metres from your home – that’s either to a cabinet on the street or a local exchange. Then a copper cable connects the cabinet or exchange to your house. Streaming TV, Skyping the family and uploading photos will be a breeze because the top speed VDSL can provide is 70Mbps, which is nearly three times faster than the fastest speed you can achieve with a basic ADSL connection. The closer you are to the cabinet, the faster your connection will be.

The best news is VDSL is available to 80% of New Zealanders. So take a look at our broadband checker to see whether you can get better broadband now. If you can, here are five reasons why you should upgrade to fast VDSL while you wait for fibre at your place.

1. It usually won’t cost you any more

Most broadband providers offer VDSL plans at the same cost as ADSL. Give your broadband provider a call or take a look at Broadband Compare or glimp to see what plans are available to you.

1. It’s easy to upgrade

All you need to do is give your broadband provider a call and ask for VDSL. They’ll upgrade your plan and send you out a new modem. When your new modem arrives just unplug your old modem, plug in the new one and follow the simple instructions. If you use the same WiFi password as you old modem it will make it easy to connect all your devices to the new modem.

Most VDSL modems are ready for fibre when it is rolled out, and if you haven’t had a new modem for a few years you’ll get a better WiFi experience in most cases as well.

1. You’ll still enjoy the reliability of the Chorus fixed-line network

With VDSL, you’ll still be on the Chorus fixed line network with a dedicated connection to your home. That means you’ll keep your landline if you have one, and nothing else, such as security and medical alarms, will be affected.

1. Your online experience should improve

In most cases you’ll have a better experiencing watching Netflix, Skyping the family and sharing your holiday snaps than you do with a basic ADSL connection. And if you’ve got more than one person using the internet at your place there’s generally more than enough bandwidth to go around.

1. You don’t have to put up with data caps

Our data usage is growing exponentially. Homes and businesses on the Chorus network are using 10 times more data per month than they were just over five years ago. So your data usage can rise by more than you think. Nearly all service providers offer VDSL plans with unlimited data and we think this is the best way to go to make sure you don’t run out of data halfway through your favourite Netflix show.

Take a look at our broadband checker to see whether you are one of the eight in ten Kiwis who can get VDSL at your place and then give your broadband provider a call. Because if you can get more for the same effort why wouldn’t you jump at the chance?