Broadband Internet >Increasing for Australians

ABS Internet Activity Survey

The recent Australian Bureau of Statistics' report entitled "Internet Activity Survey" shows 3.91 million Australians are subscribing to broadband compared to 2.75 million for dial-up connections.

This represents an increase of 1.8 million broadband subscribers from March 2005 to September 2006. Broadband subscribers represent 9 per cent of the total number of Internet subscribers in September 2006 compared to 30 per cent in March 2005.

Wireless technology (mobile and fixed) is also showing growth with 4.8 per cent of broadband subscribers using wireless. 6.65 million Australians were Internet subscribers (826 000 businesses and 5.83 million households) at the end of the September 2006 quarter.

Australia is still ranked 17 out of 30 countries surveyed by the OECD for take-up of 256kbps broadband.

The highlights of the report are:

• At the end of the September quarter 2006, there were over 6.65 million active Internet subscribers in Australia, comprised of 826,000 business and government subscribers and over 5.83 million household subscribers.
• The number of non dial-up subscribers was over 3.91 million, compared with dial-up subscribers of 2.75 million recorded at the end of September 2006.
• Non dial-up subscribers increased from almost 1.80 million at the end of March 2005 to 3.91 million at the end of September 2006. Non dial-up subscribers represented 59% of total Internet subscribers in Australia at the end of September 2006 compared with 30% at the end of March 2005.
• Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) continued to be the dominant access technology used for non dial-up subscribers with 2.99 million or almost 77% of total non dial-up subscribers being connected using this means. Wireless technology (mobile and fixed) is showing growth with 186,000 or 4.8% of the non dial-up access.
• Connections with download speeds of 1.5 Mbps or greater increased to 1.13 million or 17% of subscribers in September 2006 compared to 599,000 or 10% of subscribers at the end of March 2005.
• The number of live ISPs dropped by 32% between the March quarter 2005 and the September quarter 2006 from 689 to 467.

The Internet Activity Survey is available at the ABS website.

 

Related Tags: abs broadband digitial divide internet take-up

Recommended Resources: Australian broadband statistics slammed ABS Internet Activity Survey

 

Broadband debate >draws government response

Australian broadband statistics slammed

The federal government has been actively discrediting the latest rankings of OECD countries for broadband speeds. A telecommunications analyst company, Market Clarity, has provided their own assessment of Australia's position in the broadband subscriber statistics.

The OECD report had Australia ranked 16th for total broadband subscribers, with Market Clarity ranking Australia 11th for total broadband subscribers, ninth if only broadband over 256kbps is measured and sixth if new statistical banding is adopted

The OECD rankings were assessed by counting the number of Internet connections faster than 64 Kbps. Senator Coonan responseded “Australia does not consider Internet speeds slower than 256Kbps as broadband... (and) unlike many other countries Australia does not submit these slower Internet connections to the OECD".

The OECD responded by dismissing the report outright, stating that “The recent report by the consultancy firm Market Clarity, focusing on one of the indicators we publish, does not fall into the category of informed criticism and has serious methodological and factual error” .

In the OECD's report the breakdown of broadband technologies in December 2006 was: DSL, 62%; cable modem, 29%; FTTH/FTTB, 7%; other (satellite, fixed wireless, powerline communication), 2%.

 

Related Tags: broadband digitial divide federal government market clarity oecd

Recommended Resources: Australian broadband statistics slammed ABS Internet Activity Survey