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Information technology and telecommunications refers to the services and technologies that enable information to be transformed and disseminated, including the transmission or communication of voice or data over a variety of transmission media.

Rapid advances in information and telecommunications technology and other forms of communication (e.g. radio, television and newspapers) have had large impacts on our society and economy. Digital technology has created links between telecommunications and computing technologies, transforming the ways in which information is exchanged and accessed. It has influenced the ways in which business is conducted, how governments operate, and how individuals interact with each other.

In Tasmania, the communication services industry, which encompasses telecommunications services and postal and courier services, contributed 2.5% to Tasmania's GSP based on factor incomes (i.e. compensation of employees, gross operating surplus and gross mixed income) in 2002-03.

The feature article Employment in information and communication technology includes statistics on information and communication technology workers in Tasmania.

SUMMARY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION STATISTICS
				Period	Unit	Tasmania	Australia
Household use of information technology(a)
	Households with home computer access			2001-02	%	51	61
	Households with home Internet access			2001-02	%	35	46
	Households with mobile phones			2001-02	%	62	72
Farm use of information technology(b)
	Farms using a computer			2001-02	%	50	53
	Farms using the Internet			2001-02	%	40	43
Business use of information technology(c)
	Businesses using a computer Businesses using the Internet Businesses with a web presence			2002-03	%	83	83
				2002-03	%	63	71
				2002-03	%	^19	23
^ estimate has a relative standard error of 10% to less than 25% and should be used with caution (a) Proportions are of all households in each category, and may include some 'farm' households. (b) Percentages are of all farms. (c) Proportions are of all businesses in each category. Source: Household Use of Information Technology, Australia (cat. no. 8146.0); Use of Information Technology on Farms, Australia (cat. no. 8150.0); Business Use of Information Technology, Australia (cat. no. 8129.0).