QUALITY DECLARATION - SUMMARY
INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT
For information on the institutional environment of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), including the legislative obligations of the ABS, financing and governance arrangements, and mechanisms for scrutiny of ABS operations, please see ABS Institutional Environment.
RELEVANCE
The Internet Activity Survey (IAS) provides key statistics on the supply of internet services and the participation of Australians in internet activities, including subscriber numbers by access technologies, download speed, state and type of subscriber, and volume of data downloaded. The results are utilised by analysts in both the private and public sectors and are used in international comparisons of broadband penetration.
The IAS covers all Australian based Internet Service Providers (ISPs) at the end of the reference period. ISPs are defined as businesses that supply internet connectivity and access services to individuals, households, businesses, government and other organisations. Libraries, internet kiosks, internet cafes and hot-spots which provide internet access on a casual basis are excluded from the collection.
The source of the IAS population frame is the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsmen (TIO), with which ISPs are required to register.
The unit for which statistics are reported in the IAS is the legal entity providing internet access. ISPs in the IAS have been classified by size according to the number of subscribers ISPs reported for the end of the reference period. The size categories are defined as follows:
| Very small ISP | 1 - 100 subscribers |
| Small ISP | 101 - 1,000 subscribers |
| Medium ISP | 1,001 - 10,000 subscribers |
| Large ISP | 10,001 - 100,000 subscribers |
| Very large ISP | 100,001 + subscribers |
TIMELINESS
The IAS includes information reported by all ISPs operating in Australia as at 31 December (full census) and 30 June (reduced scope survey).
December quarter
All Australian ISPs with active subscribers are surveyed. One of two form types are sent to each ISP depending on the number of active subscribers the ISP has:
ISPs with more than 1,000 active subscribers are sent a long form which asks all questions and covers all data items; and,
ISPs with less than 1,000 active subscribers are sent a shorter version of the form which asks a subset of the questions.
Data for the December quarter are released approximately 4 months after the end of the reference period.
June quarter
Only Australian ISPs with more than 10,000 active subscribers are sent a long form which asks all questions and covers all data items, except for questions relating to SPAM and other services.
Data for the June quarter are released approximately 3 months after the end of the reference period.
This approach to the IAS provides frequent and timely data on key trends keeping resource usage and provider load to acceptable levels, particularly for the smaller ISPs.
ACCURACY
As the IAS does not have a sample component, the data are not subject to sampling variability. However, other inaccuracies, collectively referred to as non-sampling errors, may affect the data. These non-sampling errors may arise from a number of sources, including:
errors in the reporting of data by respondents;
errors in capturing or processing data;
estimation for missing or misreported data; and,
definition and classification errors.
Every effort has been made to reduce non-sampling error to a minimum by careful design and testing of questionnaires, efficient operating procedures and systems, appropriate methodology and contact with providers to resolve anomalies. Response rates are generally very high for the IAS which in turn increases the accuracy and level of the data which can be released for users. Thorough editing of the data received is undertaken to ensure that the integrity of the collection is upheld.
The ability of ISPs to report volumes of data downloaded is variable. Data presented for this item should only be considered as an indicative measure of internet activity during the reference period and therefore should be used with caution.
COHERENCE
Content of the IAS has evolved continuously since the commencement of the survey in 2001, so data items are not always comparable over time. This has mainly been due to the take up of new technologies which previously did not exist, e.g. dial-up replaced by broadband, higher access speeds, the emergence of mobile wireless access technology.
The number of ISPs reporting to the IAS does not necessarily equal the number of ISPs operating in Australia at the end of the reference period. Some ISPs have common ownership and as such provide data for all subsidiary ISPs on the one survey form. This should be taken into consideration when comparing the count of ISPs from the IAS to other data sources.
Comparison of IAS data between December and June quarters should be undertaken cautiously. The December quarter data are from a full census, therefore covering all operating ISPs in Australia as at that date. For the June quarter, data are only collected from those ISPs with more than 10,000 active subscribers. This means that not all data can be released in a June quarter due to confidentiality reasons and that the data aren't comparable over time (e.g. wireless or satellite technology).
The IAS covers the supply side of the internet market where the following ABS collections cover the demand side of the internet market and should not be directly compared:
The Business Use of Information Technology (BUIT) (cat. no. 8129.0) collection focuses on the demand side of the market i.e. how businesses use the internet. It covers all internet activity by businesses (economy wide);
The Use of Information Technology on Farms (FUIT) (cat. no. 8150.0) collection also focuses on the demand side among farms. It reports on internet and computer use for business purposes by farms with an estimated value of agricultural operations (EVAO) of $5,000 or more and is collected every 2 years; and,
Household Use of Information Technology (HUIT) (cat. no. 8146.0) collection focuses on the demand side of the market i.e. how households use the internet.
The Census of Population and Housing, which occurs every 5 years, collects data relating to dwelling use of the internet and the major connection used.
INTERPRETABILITY
Active subscribers are defined as subscribers having accounts with ISPs who have accessed the internet or paid for access to the internet as at the end of the reference period. Counts of subscribers are not the same as counts of people/organisations with internet access because subscribers may have accounts with more than one ISP. Conversely, a single ISP subscriber account may provide internet access (or email addresses) for multiple people/organisations, for example universities.
ACCESSIBILITY
All available data from the IAS are released in datacubes on the ABS website.
For links to data and publications relating to internet activity and information and technology statistics please see the Innovation Science and Technology Theme page in the ABS website.
For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.
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