6. Computers on the Internet
The data presented in this document concern the number of hosts (computers) attached to the Internet in New Zealand, and the size of the New Zealand domain which is a measure of the number of organisations connected.
6.1 Structure of the New Zealand Internet
The Internet in New Zealand has essentially a two-tier structure. The first tier is wholesalers, ie those operate offshore links and bring overseas Internet traffic to New Zealand. The second comprises retailers, known as Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Internet users are customers of ISPs, who are in turn customers of the wholesalers. Between these two tiers is the New Zealand Internet Exchange, or NZIX, which offers a neutral point for ISPs to exchange data so that they do not have to send inter-ISP data offshore.
6.2 Number of Computers on the Internet
The data for this section is derived from the results of a survey undertaken by Network Wizards, and is available on that company's web server at http://www.nw.com.
The number of computers ("hosts") on the Internet is often regarded as a measure of the number of people with access to the Internet. To be counted as host, a computer must have its own Internet address, and be permanently and directly connected to the Internet. Home or small business computers which connect by dialling up to a service provider are not counted. Consequently it is reasonable to assume that there are more users than hosts, possibly by a factor of two or more. To stress this point: the information in this paper refers to the number of computers permanently wired into the Internet in New Zealand, it does not purport to describe directly the number of individuals using the Internet.
The graph below shows the growth of the New Zealand Internet and the total Internet over the last four years.
Growth in Internet Hosts - New Zealand and the World
| | world | nz |
|---|
| Jul-91 | 5.728354 | 3.07664 |
|---|
| Oct-91 | 5.790285 | 3.119915 |
|---|
| Apr-92 | 5.94939 | 3.186674 |
|---|
| Jul-92 | 5.996512 | 3.262688 |
|---|
| Oct-92 | 6.055378 | 3.297979 |
|---|
| Jan-93 | 6.118265 | 3.312389 |
|---|
| Apr-93 | 6.172019 | 3.416474 |
|---|
| Jul-93 | 6.249443 | 3.500374 |
|---|
| Oct-93 | 6.313023 | 3.63769 |
|---|
| Jan-94 | 6.345766 | 3.761402 |
|---|
| Jul-94 | 6.506776 | 4.157759 |
|---|
| Oct-94 | 6.587037 | 4.313403 |
|---|
| Jan-95 | 6.685921 | 4.494363 |
|---|
| Jul-95 | 6.822299 | 4.642098 |
|---|
| Jan-96 | 6.976452 | 4.729246 |
|---|
The straight lines on a logarithmic graph tell the same story as the exponential curve usually seen on graphs of Internet growth.
Interestingly New Zealand's Internet grew much faster than the world's during 1994. This is shown more clearly by the following graph of Internet host count growth.
Growth in Internet Host Numbers in Preceding 12 Months
| | 1/7/93 | 1/1/94 | 1/7/94 | 1/1/95 | 1/7/95 | 1/1/96 |
|---|
| Australia | 69% | 46% | 55% | 80% | 63% | 92% |
|---|
| Japan | 126% | 84% | 103% | 126% | 121% | 179% |
|---|
| New Zealand | 73% | 181% | 369% | 441% | 196% | 72% |
|---|
| United Kingdom | 138% | 95% | 73% | 112% | 87% | 87% |
|---|
| World | 80% | 58% | 68% | 118% | 106% | 95% |
|---|
| OECD | 78% | 56% | 66% | 118% | 105% | 94% |
|---|
| USA | 72% | 57% | 63% | 115% | 109% | 90% |
|---|
| EU | 103% | 52% | 74% | 141% | 107% | 101% |
|---|
| APEC | 74% | 58% | 65% | 115% | 107% | 93% |
|---|
New Zealand's extreme Internet growth through 1994 appears to have levelled off to normal levels - where "normal", in the context of the Internet, means annual rates of 80-100%.
Back to Top