Back in May 2015, iTWire reported on how NZ was beating Australia in Netflix speed rankings, and how Telstra was at the bottom of the list.

It’s now nearly the middle of August, and Netflix’s July 2015 results are out.

Sadly for Australians, New Zealand (or is that Netflix Zealand?) is still beating Australia in terms of the fastest average speed of 3.80Mbps in NZ vs 3.32Mbps in Australia - and as you can see here, Telstra is still at the bottom of the list.

The July 2015 list is as follows, showing the rank, ISP name and the average speed in megabits per second:

1. IINET 3.32
2. TPG 3.30
3. OPTUS 3.27
4. DODO/PRIMUS 2.92
5. EXETEL 2.91
6. TELSTRA 2.05

In May there were seven ISPs listed, but there are only 6 in July as Dodo and Primus are now lumped in together.

Netflix explains its ‘ISP Speed Index is a measure of prime time Netflix performance on a particular ISP and not a measure of overall performance for other services/data that may travel across the specific ISP network.’

It also offers the explanation that ‘Faster Netflix performance generally means better picture quality, quicker start times and fewer interruptions.’

Back in May, Telstra’s Networks Group MD, Mike Wright, explained Telstra’s surprisingly last-placed Netflix performance metric via its Exchange Blog.

Wright wrote that: “Given the way the rankings came out in the Netflix index I thought it might benefit from some explanation. Indeed, if compared like for like with other networks I would expect to see results similar to other reports. In fact in the Google Video Quality report, our cable network is rated as HD quality, while our combined fixed broadband services rate at least SD and are fully competitive with our major competitors in all geographies.”

“The Telstra Netflix results are not unusual for a national ADSL provider where the lower averages are due to the extensive size of our ADSL footprint. What it does show is that we are delivering a more than reasonable video experience during peak viewing times, providing over 2 Mbps on average across a vast and extensive network area, servicing some 3.9M customers over ~2800 exchanges.”

“The factors that influence the national average include the larger size of the Telstra network over a wider ADSL footprint and customer base which means that we serve a larger number of customers further away from exchanges. This is due to the longer length of the copper lines which causes data speeds to reduce with distance.”

Thus, while Telstra may well be coming last on the list, the Netflix ranking doesn’t tell the full story.

Remarking on the latest July 2015 rankings, a Telstra spokesperson told Cybershack that: "We have seen strong growth in total internet traffic across all of our broadband networks over the past few months.

"We have a comprehensive program of ongoing upgrades to the network across Australia. This includes upgrades to our core network, exchanges, local backhaul and content distribution solutions, and a program for rolling out the best new in-home devices we have like our Gateway Max for our customers."

"Our aim is to provide a network that offers a reliable performance and the majority of our customers continue to be able to watch uninterrupted video across a range of streaming services, including Netflix, Presto and Stan."

Cybershack also quoted a Telstra Ultimate Cable customer able to achieve 100Mbps download speeds even during peak times of “never” having had “an issue with connection speeds.”

So… it clearly all depends on what kind of ISP connection you’re on, and if you're on ADSL2+, how far away you are from the exchange. If you’re still stuck on any telco's ADSL2+ and you’re quite a distance away from the local exchange, you’re very unlikely to get the same kind of experience as someone on Telstra’s Ultimate 100Mbps-capable cable, or on Optus cable, or someone on any ISP's ADSL2+ connection in very close proximity of the local phone exchange. Or someone on an actual FTTP or FTTN NBN connection. 

Given complaints from Optus and iiNet customers of slowdowns during Netflix prime-time streaming, if Telstra's claims to the majority of its network being able to watch uninterrupted video across a range of the top streaming services are true, then what it all means in the end is simple.

Until everyone gets access to the FTTN and FTTP NBN, some Australians are already on a different kind of NBN: a Netflix Buffering Network!