Broadband overtakes dial-up

By Andrew Ramadge, Technology Reporter

July 23, 2008 02:06pm

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ALMOST two thirds of Australian households now have internet access, with broadband connections outnumbering dial-up two to one.

The number of households with access to the internet had soared from 16 per cent in 1998 to 64 per cent in 2006-07, the latest Australian Social Trends report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed.

Two-parent families with dependent children were more likely to have internet access than any other household type (86 per cent).

Single-parent families had significantly lower rates of access, with between half and two thirds reporting an internet connection, depending on age and children's status.

The number of broadband connections also skyrocketed in the last two years – from 16 per cent of households in 2004-05 to 43 per cent in 2006-07.

Broadband links accounted for between half and two-thirds of all internet connections in Australian homes, across all demographic groups and geographic areas, and more than doubled the number of dial-up connections.

Education and income remained a key factor in internet use, with fewer than one in two people (47 per cent) in the lowest income quintile having internet access.

Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people had lower rates of internet access at home in both urban and remote locations, ranging from 50 per cent in major cities to just 8 per cent in very remote areas.

Households without internet access reported their reasons for not getting a connection as having no use for or being uninterested in the internet more frequently than concerns over cost.

Rates of internet access were similar in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, and above average in the Australian Capital Territory. The figures were lower in South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

There was a boom in older Australians using the internet, with a rise of 40 per cent in the number of 65-74 year olds using the web. However, the overall number of people in this age bracket using the internet remained fairly low (28 per cent).

The Australian Social Trends 2008 report drew on data collected in the 2006 census and 2006-07 Household Use Of Information Technology Survey.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24064928-29277,00.html

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