• Summary
• Downloads
• Explanatory Notes
• Related Information
• Past Releases

NOTES


INTRODUCTION

• The Internet Activity Survey (IAS) collects details on aspects of internet access services provided by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Australia.
• This release contains results from all ISPs operating in Australia with more than 1,000 active subscribers as at 31 December 2009.
• Active subscribers are defined as subscribers who have accessed the internet or paid for access to the internet during the three months ending 31 December 2009. Counts of subscribers are not the same as counts of people/organisations with internet access, as subscribers may have accounts with more than one ISP or multiple accounts with a single ISP.
• This is an electronic release of Internet Activity, Australia. More detailed and historical information is available in the accompanying datacubes.
• The IAS collected wireless connections to the internet via a mobile telephone for the first time in December 2009. However, these data will not be released until providers are able to supply accurate and reliable information, and the ABS is satisfied with the quality of the data.

• At the end of December 2009, there were 9.1 million active internet subscribers in Australia.
• The phasing out of dial-up internet connections continued with nearly 90% of internet connections now being non dial-up. Australians also continued to access higher download speeds, with 62% of access connections having a download speed of 1.5Mbps or greater.
• Digital subscriber line (DSL) continued to be the major technology for connections, accounting for 51% of non dial-up connections. However, this percentage share has decreased since June 2009 when DSL represented 57% of non dial-up connections.
• Mobile wireless via a datacard, dongle or USB modem was the fastest growing technology in internet connections, increasing to 2.8 million in December 2009. This represents a 40% increase from June 2009.

• Where figures have been rounded, discrepancies may occur between the sum of components and the total. Proportions have been calculated using unrounded data.

• Volume of data downloaded by dial-up connections have been revised for June 2009. This is a result of incorrect data reported, identified through improved questionnaire design in the December 2009 quarter. It is feasible that this figure is also overstated for survey cycles prior to June 2009.
• Mobile wireless and fixed wireless access connections have been revised for December 2008 and June 2009 following a reclassification for some subscribers from fixed to mobile wireless.
• Business and government dial-up subscribers has been revised for December 2008 to correct a rounding error.
• December 2008 and June 2009 data for SPAM and Other services have been revised as a result of improved calculation methodology.

Internet Activity Summary, Australia, for ISPs with more than 1,000 active subscribers
				Dec 2008	Jun 2009	Dec 2009
Number of ISPs(a)
	Medium		no.	88	68	65
	Large		no.	27	29	29
	Very Large		no.	11	12	10
	Total ISPs		no.	126	109	104
Subscribers
	Dial-up
		Business and government	'000	230	215	193
		Household	'000	1 060	887	747
		All dial-up subscribers	'000	1 290	1 103	941
	Non dial-up
		Business and government	'000	r1 065	1 174	1 460
		Household	'000	5 569	6 144	6 712
		All non dial-up subscribers	'000	6 634	7 317	8 172
	Total
		Business and government	'000	1 295	1 389	1 653
		Household	'000	6 629	7 031	7 459
		Total subscribers	'000	7 925	8 420	9 112
Access connections
	Dial-up
		Analog	'000	1 272	1 077	925
		Other	'000	13	10	2
		All dial-up connections	'000	1 286	1 087	927
	Non dial-up
		DSL	'000	4 176	4 171	4 193
		Cable and fibre	'000	913	931	935
		Satellite	'000	79	90	107
		Fixed wireless	'000	r85	r97	107
		Mobile wireless	'000	r1 368	r2 024	2 838
		Other	'000	17	20	5
		All non dial-up connections	'000	6 639	7 333	8 184
	Total access connections		'000	7 925	8 420	9 112
Download speeds
	Less than 256kbps		'000	1 293	1 103	941
	Broadband
		256kbps to less than 512kbps	'000	1 442	1 297	1 108
		512kbps to less than 1.5Mbps	'000	1 165	1 249	1 370
		1.5Mbps to less than 8Mbps	'000	2 002	2 529	3 194
		8Mbps to less than 24 Mbps	'000	1 650	1 800	1 989
		24Mpbs or greater	'000	373	443	511
		Broadband (256kbps or greater)	'000	6 632	7 317	8 172
	Total download speeds		'000	7 925	8 420	9 112
Volume of data downloaded(b)
	Dial-up		TBs	1 079	r466	325
	Broadband
		Fixed line broadband(c)	TBs	na	na	114 426
		Wireless broadband(d)	TBs	na	na	20 923
		Total broadband	TBs	na	na	135 349
	Total download volume		TBs	81 352	r99 249	135 674
na not available
r revised
(a) See paragraph 8 of the Explanatory Notes for ISP size categories.
(b) Data collected for the 3 month period prior to the reference date.
(c) Fixed line broadband includes DSL, cable, fibre and other wired broadband.
(d) Wireless broadband includes satellite, fixed wireless, mobile wireless via a datacard, dongle or USB modem and other wireless broadband. Excludes subscriptions via a mobile hand-set.