Our company introduced 4G to New Zealand way back in February 2013, following a proud tradition of bringing new and advanced technology to market as a first. That's well over 10 years ago now.

4G delivered much faster data speeds compared to 3G. Initially, 4G was used for data, while 2G and 3G were used to carry voice calls, but 4G evolved quickly to include voice as well, using technologies like VoLTE and HD Voice.

Now in 2025, 4G is a familiar and well established technology, with 5G becoming more common too. 4G continues to be an important part of our mobile network. By August 2025, 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. 4G frequencies are used for more than just phone calls, of course. Our Wireless Broadband also delivers data over 4G networks and 5G networks.

If you've bought a new mobile phone in the last five years, it is more than likely that it is 4G-capable.
The first 4G phones were introduced way back in 2012, and 4G phones became quite common by 2015.
So 4G is an established technology built into phone hardware, just like 5G has over the last few years.

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, giving you even faster speeds and connectivity. It's the speed and connectivity that gives you a better mobile experience.

Depending on the area that you are in, 4G may give you a stronger signal and coverage, particularly around traditional "Mobile Black Spots". For more about coverage in difficult areas, see our Satellite to Mobile service. Because we are known to have a wide mobile coverage across New Zealand, and have the ability to use Satellite to Mobile, our mobile network is more reliable and resilient than others.

Check our mobile coverage maps and use your location, or locations that you might travel through to understand our coverage.

You can help us improve our mobile service.
You can do this by identifying areas that need better coverage, by using our One Pin.

• 2G is known as 2nd generation and was built in the early 1990s. This is our original GSM network, which handles voice calls and text messages. We keep our 2G network in great shape, and it works seamlessly with 3G and 4G for reliability and quality of service.
• 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.
• Fibre optic means Fibre broadband, which is used by mobile networks for what is called 'backhaul'. So it's fibre that connects the 5G cell tower to the rest of the internet, providing the speed and reliability that 5G needs.
• 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.
• SMS: SMS stands for Short Message Service, which is most commonly called 'TXT' or a 'Text message'.
• 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.