FY08 sees the number of broadband users jump by 22 percent to 4.3 million

Based on new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistic the number of homes in Australia signing up for broadband services throughout the year up to June 30th 2008 has increased by 800 000, which has bought the current number of Australian home with broadband to 4.3 million.

This means that 48 percent of homes have no broadband access according to these latest figures, although it does show an increase from June 2007 of 22 percent. With the number of households that have internet access now at 5.5 million the stats from ABS show that nearly all homes in Australia are now using a broadband connection. It also found that 6.2 million homes have some form access to a computer, which accounts for three quarters of all the homes in Australia.

With 68 percent of homes in ACT having broadband access it currently has the highest number of connections and the two lowest were South Australia with 42 percent and Tasmania with 39 percent. The remaining Australian states have between 51 and 55 percent broadband coverage.

It was also found that there was a much higher rate of access for homes with incomes of $120 000 with 81 percent of homes having broadband access whilst only 38 percent of homes with $40 000 or less in income had a broadband connection. The figures also found that 67 percent of homes with under 15 year old children had broadband access, which was far higher than the 46 percent of broadband connected homes without under 15’s.

Households with an ADSL broadband connection remained at 69 percent even though the number of user’s connection using a cable broadband connection dropped by three percent. The take-up of new broadband technologies like satellite and wireless accounted for this three percent drop according to the ABS.

Satellite broadband accounted for three percent of all broadband connection as of June 30th 2008.

“There continues to be a significant lack of awareness by respondents of the type of Broadband technologies being used (12 percent),” said the ABS.