Australian Internet facilities
The cheapest ADSL2+ in Australia ?
$ 5.99 per month... Yes, Six Australian dollars per month. That's the basic cost for a selected group of locations, with a usage charge of $1.50 per Gigabyte during peak periods or only 75c per GB during off-peak periods
Perfect for some people, but not everyone of course
You can check if your area is 'online' and get more details at:
If you select a plan from this ISP, use the promotion code, if requested, AANET893
Some Internet Plans in Australia
November 2010
ADSL2+ Speed: 24000/1000 kbps
30 GB Download + 30 GB offpeak $34.95 pm
80 GB Download + 80 GB offpeak $59.95 pm
Broadband Plan Comparisons
Internet Choice let's you compare over 600 broadband plans from 15 of Australia's leading Broadband Providers.
How Internet speeds compare in Australia
I am on a slowish connection, compared to what is available these days, being on the older ADSL, and I took a speed test at www.speedtest.net recently, (May 2009).
My results were low, compared to the rest of Queensland, and are shown here:
The World average is shown as 4.95Mb/s
Australia is 4.69Mb/s and
Queensland is 4.21Mb/s
Being on a 1.5Mb/s connection, I suppose I couldn't expect any better.
I should consider an upgrade to an ADSL+2 connection soon.
2010 Internet Speed update
After upgrading to a faster service, at 8Mb/s my result is now:
[ image disabled ]
This means I am now above both the UK and Australian average Internet speeds (as at April 2010)
[ image disabled ]
as rated by at www.speedtest.net.
Australian Internet Broadband speeds
December 2007
51.7% BroadBand under 1.5Mbs
48.3% BroadBand 1.5Mbs and above
28.2% of all Broadband is 8Mbs or higher
December 2008
39.6% BroadBand under 1.5Mbs
60.4% BroadBand 1.5Mbs and above
30.3% of all Broadband is 8Mbs or higher
June 2009
34.80% BroadBand under 1.5Mbs
65.20% BroadBand 1.5Mbs and above
30.60% of all Broadband is 8Mbs or higher
June 2010
22.57% BroadBand under 1.5Mbs
77.43% BroadBand 1.5Mbs and above
36.9% of all Broadband is 8Mbs or higher
Source:
Australia to roll out the world's fastest wireless broadband network
This information refers to "wireless" broadband network
Telstra Corporation will roll out what it says is the world's fastest wireless broadband network, over the next two months.
Telstra will be increasing the maximum speed of its Next G mobile network to 21 megabits per second.
Telstra would increase the speed to 42 Mbps towards the end of 2009 and in early 2010.
Optus' network operates at a maximum speed of 7.2 Mbps, and others at maximum speeds of 3.6 Mbps.
But Optus said Telstra customers will have to buy a new modem and "live or work" beneath an exchange to achieve the [maximum] speed increase
Telstra's services cost more than double its rivals, with a 1 gigabyte (GB) pack costing $59 a month. Optus offers 6GB for $59.99 and Vodafone offers 5GB for $39.95.
Business Spectator
Internet Providers
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.
One of the most commonly used Internet Providers is Telstras Bigpond. It is popular for the same reason that British Telecom is: It is the most well known.
www.aanet.com.au is pretty reliable, and if you happen to choose them, use the Promotional code code: AANET893
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.
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.
Check any Off Peak allowances. Some providers give you an extra allowance during their off peak hours. I came across one that classes Off Peak as 12midnight - 12noon. Others may have different times.
Internet Safety
- NetAlert Limited (NetAlert) is Australia's Internet safety advisory body. NetAlert's objective is to promote a safer Internet experience, particularly for young people and their families.
Australian Internet User Statistics
Source: ABS publication: Internet Activity, Australia (cat. no. 8153.0)
June 2010
There were 9.5 million subscribers to the Internet in Australia.
7.686 million being household subscribers and 1.629 million being Business and Government.
There were 803 thousand Dial Up subscribers in June 2010, down from 2.75 million in Sept 2006.
8.77 million subscribers now use connections other than Dial Up.
There are:
635,000 users with a speed of 24Mbps or greater
2,600,000 users with a speed between 8Mbps and 24Mbps
3,553,000 users with a speed between 1.5Mbps and 8Mbps
1,979,000 users with a speed between 256kbps and 1.5Mbps
803,000 users with a speed of less than 256kbps
June 2009
There were 8.4 million subscribers to the Internet in Australia.
7.031 million being household subscribers and 1.389 million being Business and Government.
There were 1.103 million Dial Up subscribers in June 2009, down from 2.75 million in Sept 2006.
7.32 million subscribers now use connections other than Dial Up.
There are:
443,000 users with a speed of 24Mbps or greater
1,800,000 users with a speed between 8Mbps and 24Mbps
2,529,000 users with a speed between 1.5Mbps and 8Mbps
2,546,000 users with a speed between 256kbps and 1.5Mbps
1,103,000 users with a speed of less than 256kbps
June 2008
There were 7.23 million subscribers to the Internet in Australia, 6.21 million being household subscribers.
43% of subscribers in June 2008 had an internet speed of 1.5Mbps or faster, compared to only 17% at the end of September, 2006.
There were 1.57 million Dial Up subscribers in June 2008, down from 2.75 million in Sept 2006.
5.66 million subscribers now use connections other than Dial Up, 3.94 million of these use DSL.
There are:
262,000 users with a speed of 24Mbps or greater
1,390,000 users with a speed between 8Mbps and 24Mbps
1,440,000 users with a speed between 1.5Mbps and 8Mbps
2,551,000 users with a speed between 256kbps and 1.5Mbps
1,581,000 users with a speed of less than 256kbps
Another way to look at the above is:
3,940,000 Total DSL users at June 2008
262,000 over 24Mbs or 6.65% of DSL users
1,390,000 between 8Mbps and 24Mbps or 35.28%
1,440,000 between 1.5Mbps and 8Mbps or 36.55%
848,000 under 1.5Mbs or 21.52%
Dec 2007
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.
