Australia's Broadband: How Big is the Problem?

Abstract

Four conclusions are drawn from the most recent data about broadband takeup in Australia and overseas. First, performance shouldn't be judged against a single criterion or against the same criteria over time. Second, on the simplest measure of fixed broadband takeup, Australia has caught up considerably after a slow start to a position now above the OECD average, but is still well behind top-ranked countries. Third, on other factors such as the availability of higher speeds, prices, bitcaps and the relationships between them, Australia does not perform as well, particularly on bitcaps. Fourth, even if Australia's performance has improved on some measures, few suggest existing infrastructure will be adequate to maintain that improvement in the years ahead on the measures that will matter.