The ABS today released its half-yearly Internet Activity report, which reported near exponential growth in data usage despite only moderate (4.7%) annual growth in internet subscribers:
The total volume of data downloaded in the three months ended 31 December 2016 was 2.6 million Terabytes (or 2.6 Exabytes). This is a 23.3% increase in data downloads when compared with the three months ended 30 June 2016 and a 50.8% increase in the year between December 2015 and December 2016.
Data downloaded via fixed line broadband (2.5 million Terabytes) accounted for 98% of all internet downloads in the three months ended 31 December 2016.
The below table shows the type of connection:
As you can see, DSL remains the dominant form of fixed-line service, although Fibre is catching up fast – most likely due to the roll-out of the NBN.
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness.
Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.
