Various Internet options
are available in Australia, and the following links can be invaluable in
choosing the best option for you at any specific time.
Some providers allow 6 month contracts, but often give 12 or 18 month contracts at better rates.
Special offers are often
available with some of the providers. In 2005 I personally went with a 1512k
connection with an 8Gb download limit for $45 per month, when it became
available. (UPDATE: In 2008, after 3 years,
this plan now costs me $50 pm but with 10Gb upload limit) It was a big change from my 256k connection for $60 per month,
although that was for unlimited downloads.
The cheapest unlimited downloads
option that I found recently,(2005) with a 512k connection, was at a cost of $49.95
per month, with a set up fee of $129 for a 6 month contract. The most
expensive similar option was $99.95 per month. It pays to shop around,
use the link above.
Be very wary of the cheaper options with low download limits of about 200mb. These can be expensive
once you go over the limit. One example charges at $150 per Gb excess
charge, compared to the more standard $3 per Gb excess charge.
There were 421 ISPs operating in Australia in the December quarter, 2007.
There were 7.10 million subscribers to the Internet in Australia, 6.14 million
being household subscribers.
35% of subscribers in December 2007 had an internet speed of 1.5Mbps or faster,
compared to only 17% at the end of September, 2006.
There were 1.89 million Dial Up subscribers in Dec 2007, down from 2.75 million
in Sept 2006.
5.21 million subscribers now use connections other than Dial Up, 3.81 million of
these use DSL.
