Regional digital connectivity catching up

Internet connectivity in regional Australia is improving and more on par with our capital cities, according to new research looking at how well Australians are able to participate in all types of digital communications and transactions from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

The research, ‘Regional Australians online’, reveals that residents in non-urban areas now report similar levels of home broadband connection to those living in urban and major cities, with 80% having a broadband connection, compared with only 61% four years ago.

According to ACMA, while the proportion of people with a home broadband connection in non-urban areas has grown significantly, these internet users are still trailing those in major capital cities in terms of frequency and intensity of online participation.

Also revealed in the research are statistics relating to smartphone ownership, which, along with the use of mobile internet services, is growing rapidly in non-urban areas. While major capital cities recorded the highest level of smartphone ownership (76%), the proportion of Australians with a smartphone as their main mobile in non-urban areas tripled in the last four years, from 19 to 60%.

However, around 10% of Australians in urban and non-urban areas reported that they had never accessed the internet, which remains higher than for capital city residents where only 4% reported never having accessed the internet.

Research shows that factors such as age, income and living environment are significant predictors of non-users of the internet with non-urban areas having a higher representation of older Australians, the unemployed and a lower level of household income.

For more information on the ACMA research, go to http://acma.gov.au.

Image courtesy of Les Haines under CC-BY-2.0