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The cost of these services meant they were usually well beyond the means of the average recreational user or even most small businesses.

Then Telecom began offering various flavours of ADSL connections and other ISPs such as IHUG launched wireless and satellite options.

Finally, the adventurous and only modestly wealthy amongst us could afford to experience the net at something more than a dial-up crawl.

But my how things have changed in recent months!

Having moved to an area that has both DSL and wireless coverage, I find myself spoilt for choice when it comes to broadband connectivity.

Right now I'm using Telecom's JetStream Starter ADSL service with XTRA as my ISP but by the end of the month I'll be switching to an ISP that offers more than a 5GB cap. After careful consideration of the costs and benefits, and not in the least swayed by their sponsorship of this column, I've decided that I'll use IHUG as my JetStream Starter ISP.

However, just this morning I had a phone call from the very pro-active local wireless provider who is clearly set on establishing a dominant position in the broadband market.

Their offering is also very attractive and I'll likely give that a try as well and see if their claims as to speed and price stack up (more to come on this). The wireless option is even more attractive to me than ADSL because it means I can move my PC from the office to the workshop without the need to set up my own WiFi network or run extra cable.

Of course if (and when) all other forms of connectivity fail, or if I'm travelling, I still have Vodafone's trusty and invaluable GPRS data service to fall back on. Thanks to some rather effective new software, the GPRS service, although charged by volume, now costs a lot less than you might think.

Yes, in a few short weeks I've come from being tied to a noisy, unreliable, slow (19.2Kbps) and frustrating dial-up internet connection, to being totally spoilt for connectivity choices.

I suspect that, at least from a consumer's perspective, things will only get better in the short to medium term.

Broadband connectivity is likely to be (if it isn't already) the next "big thing" here in NZ and as the various players scramble to capture enough market share to remain viable, prices will fall, the offers will sweeten, and performance will improve.

Telecom's long-promised revamping of its JetStream product offerings is likely to be the next big news but the wireless operators look set to counter the ADSL threat by adding voice over internet (VOIP) to their products.

It could be that sometime in the not too distant future, a good percentage of NZ homes won't have any need for Telecom's copper. This is particularly true in rural regions where the copper is often pretty old and tired anyway.

So, sit back, relax and enjoy the halcyon days of the broadband goldrush.

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