Senator the Hon Helen Coonan was Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts from 18 July 2004 to 3 December 2007. This site is available for archival purposes only.

Senator Stephen Conroy is the current Minister for the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy

106/05
20 September 2005

Broadband take-up hits the 2.1 million mark

Broadband take-up has hit the 2.1 million mark, showing more and more Australians are switching on to the benefits of faster Internet, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, said today.

“The release of new figures from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission show take-up of broadband in Australia continues to grow exponentially,” Senator Coonan said.

“In the last 12 months alone more than 1.1 million subscribers have signed up to broadband, an increase of 108.3 per cent.

“The take-up of ADSL services is now at 1,579,500 and there are 2,183,300 broadband subscribers in Australia in total.

“These figures show there are a growing number of Australians are using alternative technologies to get access to broadband such as wireless and satellite technologies.

“These latest figures also demonstrate that Government subsidies for broadband – such as the Higher Bandwidth Incentive Scheme (HiBIS) – are having a real impact on broadband take-up rates in Australia.

“The $157.8 million HiBIS program is improving access to and affordability of broadband services for residential customers and small businesses in rural, regional and remote Australia, with more than 600 communities already connected to broadband as a result of HiBIS.”

There has also been significant and ongoing industry interest in the scheme. There are now around 40 registered HiBIS service providers. HiBIS providers use a variety of technologies including ADSL, one-way and two-way satellite, wireless and cable.

By July 2005, ADSL accounted for 54.6 per cent of all HiBIS customers’ technology platforms, while 32 per cent used satellite, 12.1 per cent used wireless connections and the remaining 1.3 per cent used cable.

“Broadband take-up will continue to sky-rocket when the Government’s $878 million Broadband Connect program commences shortly,” Senator Coonan said.

“Broadband Connect will replace the incredibly successful HiBIS scheme and ensure more and more Australians enjoy the benefits of broadband, regardless of where they live.”

The HiBIS program will continue to help connect Australians to affordable broadband until Broadband Connect commences.