One NZ introduced 4G to New Zealand way back in February 2013, following a proud tradition of bringing new and advanced technology to market. That's more than 10 years ago now. 4G delivered much faster speeds compared to the older 3G GSM standard.
Now in 2024, 4G is a familiar and established technology. And 4G is still an important part of our future. By August this year, 4G will be available in all of the locations that currently have 3G.
You can even take advantage of our 4.5G capability and speeds with our 4G-capable and 5G-capable phones. And we have 4G capable Flip phones too! 4G is used for more than just phone calls, of course. Our Wireless Broadband delivers data over 4G and 5G networks.
Does your phone support 4G Extended?
If you've bought a new mobile phone in the last few years, it is more than likely that it is 4G capable. It was back in 2015 that 4G capable phones started to become more common. So 4G is now a familiar and established technology. All phones (and devices) listed here work with 4G Extended at 700MHz and 4G at 1800MHz. Some may also support 4G at 2600MHz. Some of these mobile phones also support 4.5G and 5G for even faster speeds and connectivity. And this speed and connectivity is what gives you a better experience. Depending on the area that you are in, 4G may give you a stronger signal and coverage, particularly around traditional "Mobile Black Spots". Check our mobile coverage maps to see your location, or locations that you might travel through.
iPhone
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone SE - Gen 3
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 6S
- iPhone 6
Microsoft
- Microsoft Lumia 640
OPPO
Sony Xperia
- Sony Xperia E4g
- Sony Xperia Z5 Compact
Samsung Galaxy
- Galaxy Z Fold6
- Galaxy Z Flip6
- Galaxy S24
- Galaxy S24+
- Galaxy S24 Ultra
- Galaxy S23
- Galaxy S23+
- Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Galaxy S23 FE
- Galaxy Z Flip5
- Galaxy Z Fold5
- Galaxy S22 Ultra
- Galaxy S22+
- Galaxy S22
- Galaxy Z Flip4
- Galaxy Z Fold4
- Galaxy Fold3
- Galaxy Flip3
- Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
- Galaxy S21+
- Galaxy S21
- Galaxy S21 Fan Edition
- Galaxy Note20
- Galaxy Note20 5G
- Galaxy Note20 Ultra
- Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
- Galaxy Note 9
- Galaxy Note 10
- Galaxy Note 10+
- Galaxy Note10+ 5G
- Galaxy S10e
- Galaxy S10+
- Galaxy S10
- Galaxy S20 Fan Edition
- Galaxy S20
- Galaxy S20+ 5G
- Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G
- Galaxy S9
- Galaxy S8
- Galaxy Note8
- Galaxy S7
- Galaxy J8
- GALAXY Core Prime
- GALAXY S5 (SM-G900i variant)
- GALAXY Alpha
- GALAXY Note 4
- Galaxy Note 5
- GALAXY Tab Active
- Galaxy A12
- GALAXY A3
- GALAXY A5
- Galaxy J5
- Galaxy S6
Network jargon buster
A quick-reference list of important mobile and network terms. Like "What is 4G?" and mobile frequencies in NZ.
Learn more
3G is known as 3rd generation. 3G refers to our fast mobile network that provides mobile calls, mobile internet access, video calls and mobile TV. Our 3G network covers 98% of where Kiwis live, work and play.
4G: Known as 4th generation or LTE, 4G is a high speed data network for mobile phones and devices. It provides almost instantaneous web page loading, faster photo viewing on Facebook and video streaming without the wait. One NZ launched NZ's first 4G network in Auckland in February 2013 and it's still NZ's biggest.
4G Extended - 700MHz: 4G Extended uses the 700MHz frequency of the 4G spectrum which is typically used in rural areas. 4G Extended complements our 4G network on the 1800MHz frequency.
5G: Known as the 5th generation of mobile network technology and, of course, 5G is the successor to 4G technology. Just like 4G, 5G uses MIMO (Multiple In, Multiple Out) antennas to deliver faster speeds and efficiency.
In New Zealand, 5G uses Band n78 in the 3500MHz range, and this band is probably the most commonly used 5G Band across the world.
Band 3 is a 4G standard that uses the 1800MHz frequency.
Band 7 is a 4G standard that uses the 2600MHz frequency.
Band 28 is a 4G standard that uses the 700MHz frequency.
CAT 6 LTE is a technology capable of delivering speeds up to 301.5 Mbit/s by using multiple aerials.
Carrier Aggregation combines separate radio bands to boost speed and capacity. One NZ launched dual-band 4G in May 2014 and followed with tri-band Carrier Aggregation in August 2014. Carrier aggregation is also used with 5G bands.
Dual Carrier or DC-HSPA: This technology combines two 3G channels together to provide a faster data session. Where 3G can deliver up to 21 Mbps, Dual Carrier is capable of delivering up to 42 Mbps. Actual speeds will vary depending on your signal level and distance from the network tower.
LTE is a standard for high-speed wireless communication and it stands for Long Term Evolution. It can provide significantly higher data transfer rates than older technologies (with speeds up to 300Mbps download and 75Mbps upload) . LTE also offers reduced latency during data transfer and its capacity can be scaled up to meet future bandwidth demands.
Millimetre wave: This can also be shown as mmWave or mmW. Millimetre wave is a part of the radio spectrum from 30 gigahertz to 300 gigahertz, and it uses a very short wavelength. Millimetre wave will be used by 5G technology. 5G is not limited to using just mmWave; 5G can also use low band frequencies and sub-6GHz frequencies.
Sure Signal: Sure Signal was a device that boosts indoor 3G mobile phone signal. It was a great solution for its time, if you had a 'low bars' problem. Now One NZ uses WiFi calling to solve the 'low bars' issue.
VoLTE: stands for Voice over Long Term Evolution. VoLTE allows voice calls to be carried across a 4G data network instead of 3G or 2G.
One NZ first trialled VoLTE technology in early 2015. One NZ now supports VoLTE, and was the first NZ carrier to launch VoLTE, on June 6, 2019.
U900: 3G on the 900MHz frequency, used mostly for rural and marine areas, where there's a greater distance between cell sites. It also provides better indoor 3G coverage.
U2100: 3G on the 2100MHz frequency. U2100 is used more commonly in urban areas, where every cell site has more traffic to manage.
UFB: stands for Ultra Fast Broadband. UFB is a New Zealand government initiative to deliver fast broadband internet access, using fibre, to 75% of the population over a 10-year period. The aim is a minimum speed of 100 Mbps downloading and 50 Mbps uploading.