Internet firm Orcon says New Zealand urgently needs to be released from the tyranny of high prices inflicted by the monopoly Southern Cross cable.
The high prices have been a key worry for internet providers at the Telecommunications Summit in Auckland contemplating the roll out of ultra-fast broadband.
Orcon chief executive Scott Bartlett says New Zealand's internet is not only tyrannised by distance, but also by price.
He says the high cost of using the Southern Cross Cable is the reason why New Zealand internet service providers are forced to put in place low data caps.
Pacific Fibre has released a tender document for a submarine cable to compete with the Southern Cross cable.
The company says it is confident it will be able to fund and build the cable by itself after a memorandum of understanding with its Hong Kong-based partner lapsing.
Chief executive Mark Rushworth says ultra fast broadband will be in serious trouble without competition in the international market.
