Broadband usage tops 3.6m

There were more than 3.6 million broadband connections in Australia as of 30 September last year, a report by the nation's competition regulator revealed on Friday.

That number was up more than 300,000 since June 2006, with the bulk of the new connections coming from ADSL-based services running over Telstra's copper telephony network. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has been tracking local broadband adoption since March 2002, when the total number stood at just 200,000.

"Once again, the September quarter showed an increase of more than one million customers, or 51.2 percent, over the preceding 12-month period. This growth continues a trend observed since June 2005," ACCC commissioner Ed Willett said in a statement.

"Since the entry of a number of new competitors and lower retail prices for broadband services in early 2004, there has been a notable increase in broadband take-up. For example, since the March quarter 2004, take-up of broadband services has increased by more than 400 percent."

Overall, around three quarters of broadband connections in Australia are ADSL services. Take-up of all other forms of broadband -- for example cable, satellite and wireless -- also continues to increase, but at a slower rate.

The full report is available online.