Mobile Coverage Vodafone 98.5% vs Spark 97% of population.

Forums › New Zealand Mobile and Wireless › Mobile Coverage Vodafone 98.5% vs Spark 97% of population.

andrewcnz

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#198982 30-Jul-2016 09:39

Looking for opinion on mobile coverage by main providers. I always thought Spark had the best mobile coverage outside the main centers. But a quick look at some of the coverage maps finds a few locations where Spark has no service(or minimal reception). Like State highway 1 on desert road, East Cape area. Also places like Kawau Island. Does the extra 1.5% make a difference to people who travel around NZ to work? Do people who travel carry both networks phones now?

sbiddle

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#1601218 30-Jul-2016 09:41

There are plenty of rural places still where one provider is still significantly better than the other and vice versa. Any decisions should really be based on where you're going to be using it.

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dman

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#1643030 30-Sep-2016 00:42

In a very general sense, Spark will do better. But in the specific sense of exactly where you might want to use it... sometimes it might be Vodafone not Spark. Thus best to check around with a few locals.

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michaelmurfy

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#1643034 30-Sep-2016 02:46

Personal preference. Spark works in the places I visit where Vodafone doesn't therefore I am on Sparks network (and so is the rest of my family).

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Linux

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#1643035 30-Sep-2016 03:16

I can show you places in Auckland like Waima in the Waitakere Rangers Spark has very poor mobile coverage but Vodafone has good coverage and other places Vodafone has poor and Spark has good coverage,

Mobile coverage is not static and can change between Summer to winter

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Jase2985

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#1643061 30-Sep-2016 05:33

being out on a ship a bit, spark has better maritime coverage, but there are a few places like port fitzroy on great barrier island where the coverage is poor, where as vodafones is great.

it really is location specific

Batman

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#1643063 30-Sep-2016 06:52

michaelmurfy:

Personal preference. Spark works in the places I visit where Vodafone doesn't therefore I am on Sparks network

Same here

robjg63

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#1643115 30-Sep-2016 08:59

michaelmurfy:

Personal preference. Spark works in the places I visit where Vodafone doesn't therefore I am on Sparks network (and so is the rest of my family).

I am in the middle of Auckland - At my house Vodafone had very poor reception unless I went upstairs to a corner of my house.

Didnt seem much sense staying with Vodafone if it didnt work at home - Spark/skinny works well at home.

I have heard the odd case where its the other way around.

As others have said - choose the one that works best where you spend most of your time.

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juha

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#1646110 5-Oct-2016 19:47

Happy to report that after the RBI upgrades, there's now decent 4G in Hokianga. Got 65/40 on a recent speed test on Vodafone.

Would be great if Spark had some coverage here too, as it's pretty much zero currently.

Juha