One of the country's largest telecommunication companies is lagging behind in Dunedin.

Spark has confirmed its gigatown packages won't be available until the middle of the year.

That's despite widespread connection to gigabit internet speed becoming available next week.

Spark is compensating by offering Dunedin residents discounts on its ultra fibre network.

Dunedin is getting access to the fastest internet speeds in the southern hemisphere, for winning the gigatown competition.

But residents have to go through internet service providers like Spark to tap into the new network.

However, other companies are already connecting customers up.