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Video and online audiences

Subscribers by speed of access connection, 2003–2008

2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003

Data on the number of subscribers by download speed of access connection has been collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics since 2003. The intention is to provide a measure of broadband uptake based on speed of access connection rather than the technology used to deliver the connection. The ABS defines broadband as ‘an “always on” internet connection with an access speed equal to or greater than 256 kbps’.

At the end of December 2008, there were approximately 6.7 million broadband subscribers in Australia, up almost 1.5 million on the previous year. During that period, there was a significant rise in the number of business/government subscribers; despite this, the majority was still households (around 5.6 million subscribers or 83.8 per cent of all household subscribers).

No. subscribers by access speed, 2003–2008

Graph: Number Internet subscribers by access speed. The following table provides the data.

2008

  No. subscribers ('000) Proportion subscribers (%)
Bus./gov’t H’hold Total Bus./gov’t H’hold Total
Total 1,321 6,675 7,996 100% 100% 100%
Less than 256 kbps 234 1,084 1,319 17.7% 16.2% 16.5%
Broadband1
256 kbps to less than 512 kbps 160 1,299 1,458 12.1% 19.5% 18.2%
512 kbps to less than 1.5 Mbps 169 1,012 1,181 12.8% 15.2% 14.8%
1.5 Mbps to less than 8 Mbps 538 1,474 2,012 40.7% 22.1% 25.2%
8 Mbps to less than 24 Mbps 175 1,478 1,653 13.2% 22.1% 20.7%
24 Mbps or greater 45 329 373 3.4% 4.9% 4.7%
Total broadband 1,087 5,591 6,678 82.3% 83.8% 83.5%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Internet Activity (cat. no. 8153.0), December quarter 2008.

Notes:
A kilobit (kb) is a data unit of 1,024 bits. Slower data speeds are generally referred to in kilobits per second (kbps).
A megabit (Mb) is a data unit of 1,048,576 bits, sometimes interpreted as 1 million bits. Faster data speeds are generally referred to in megabits per second (Mbps).

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2007

  No. subscribers ('000) Proportion subscribers (%)
Bus./gov’t H’hold Total Bus./gov’t H’hold Total
Total 965 6,414 7,015 100% 100% 100%
Less than 256 kbps 268 1,619 1,887 27.8% 26.4% 26.6%
Broadband1
256 kbps to less than 512 kbps 190 1,391 1,580 19.7% 22.7% 22.2%
512 kbps to less than 1.5 Mbps 172 949 1,121 17.8% 15.5% 15.8%
1.5 Mbps to less than 8 Mbps 224 821 1,045 23.2% 13.4% 14.7%
8 Mbps to less than 24 Mbps 95 1,198 1,293 9.8% 19.5% 18.2%
24 Mbps or greater 17 163 180 1.8% 2.7% 2.5%
Total broadband 697 4,522 5,218 72.2% 73.2% 73.4%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Internet Activity (cat. no. 8153.0), December quarter 2007.

Notes:
A kilobit (kb) is a data unit of 1,024 bits. Slower data speeds are generally referred to in kilobits per second (kbps).
A megabit (Mb) is a data unit of 1,048,576 bits, sometimes interpreted as 1 million bits. Faster data speeds are generally referred to in megabits per second (Mbps).

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2006

  No. subscribers ('000) Proportion subscribers (%)
Bus./gov’t H’hold Total Bus./gov’t H’hold Total
Total 826 5,831 6,657 100% 100% 100%
Less than 256 kbps 279 2,478 2,757 33.8% 42.5% 41.4%
Broadband1
256 kbps to less than 512 kbps 176 1,150 1,327 21.3% 19.7% 19.9%
512 kbps to less than 1.5 Mbps 218 1,224 1,442 26.4% 21.0% 21.7%
More than 1.5 Mbps 153 978 1,131 18.5% 16.8% 17.0%
Total broadband 547 3,353 3,900 66.2% 57.5% 58.6%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Internet Activity (cat. no. 8153.0), September quarter 2006.

Notes:
A kilobit (kb) is a data unit of 1,024 bits. Slower data speeds are generally referred to in kilobits per second (kbps).
A megabit (Mb) is a data unit of 1,048,576 bits, sometimes interpreted as 1 million bits. Faster data speeds are generally referred to in megabits per second (Mbps).

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2005

  No. subscribers ('000) Proportion subscribers (%)
Bus./gov’t H’hold Total Bus./gov’t H’hold Total
Total 845 5,135 5,980 100% 100% 100%
Less than 256 kbps 447 3,746 4,193 52.9% 73.0% 70.1%
Broadband
256 kbps to less than 512 kbps 151 508 659 17.9% 9.9% 11.0%
512 kbps to less than 1.5 Mbps 130 398 529 15.4% 7.8% 8.8%
More than 1.5 Mbps 117 482 599 13.8% 9.4% 10.0%
Total broadband 398 1,388 1,787 47.1% 27.0% 29.9%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Internet Activity (cat. no. 8153.0), March quarter 2005.

Notes:
A kilobit (kb) is a data unit of 1,024 bits. Slower data speeds are generally referred to in kilobits per second (kbps).
A megabit (Mb) is a data unit of 1,048,576 bits, sometimes interpreted as 1 million bits. Faster data speeds are generally referred to in megabits per second (Mbps).

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2004

  No. subscribers ('000) Proportion subscribers (%)
Bus./gov’t H’hold Total Bus./gov’t H’hold Total
Total 846 4,895 5,741 100% 100% 100%
Less than 256 kbps 535 3,916 4,451 63.2% 80.0% 77.5%
Broadband
256 kbps to less than 512 kbps 140 390 530 16.5% 8.0% 9.2%
512 kbps to less than 1.5 Mbps 84 222 305 9.9% 4.5% 5.3%
More than 1.5 Mbps 87 368 454 10.3% 7.5% 7.9%
Total broadband 311 979 1,290 36.8% 20.0% 22.5%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Internet Activity (cat. no. 8153.0), September quarter 2004.

Notes:
A kilobit (kb) is a data unit of 1,024 bits. Slower data speeds are generally referred to in kilobits per second (kbps).
A megabit (Mb) is a data unit of 1,048,576 bits, sometimes interpreted as 1 million bits. Faster data speeds are generally referred to in megabits per second (Mbps).

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2003

  No. subscribers ('000) Proportion subscribers (%)
Bus./gov’t H’hold Total Bus./gov’t H’hold Total
Total 696 4,516 5,211 100% 100% 100%
Less than 256 kbps 528 4,027 4,554 75.6% 89.2% 87.4%
256 kbps to less than 512 kbps 70 165 235 10.1% 3.7% 4.5%
512 kbps to less than 1.5 Mbps 73 181 254 10.5% 4.0% 4.9%
1.5 Mbps to less than 2 Mbps 19 17 36 2.7% 0.4% 0.7%
2 Mbps or greater 6 125 131 0.9% 2.8% 2.5%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Internet Activity (cat. no. 8153.0), September quarter 2003.