Simon Hayes
JUNE 17, 2003
AUSTRALIA has slipped behind Estonia in worldwide broadband league tables, falling to 23rd behind
the likes of Taiwan, Belgium and Austria.
Australia is only slightly ahead of New Zealand.
The Baltic nation outclassed Australia recently.
Research by telecommunications analyst Paul Budde shows an estimated 7 per cent of internet-using
households in Australia had broadband connected this year, compared with 5 per cent last year and
1.5 per cent in 2001.
By contrast, 85 per cent of Korean households with internet access had broadband, while 65 per cent
of Hong Kong internet-using households had broadband.
In Europe, 21 per cent of UK internet households had broadband and 39 per cent of French internet-
using households had broadband.
In the US, the figures was 35 per cent, while in Canada it was 40 per cent.
Telstra's target of one million broadband connections by 2005 would give the country 20 per cent
penetration, putting it in about 40th place, Mr Budde said.
"The overriding issues in this is competition," he said.
"Competition will drive prices down and make pricing plans less complex.
"None of the countries going faster than Australia have silly download limits.
"All that makes it difficult for people in Australia to get broadband, whereas in other countries it's the
other way round."
Communications Minister Richard Alston told Parliament last week the government did not have a
direct role to play in consumer take-up.
"We have special responsibilities in areas such as health, education, research, national security and
international connectivity, and we will be dealing with these," he said.
"Like other countries, including the US and the UK, we think the market is best placed to decide the
level of take-up, and it is pretty much sorting out the players right now."
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