Nearly half of the country's adult population owns a smart phone, according to the latest round of statistics released by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

ACMA's Smartphones and tablets: Take-up Around Australia report has documented the meteoric rise of the smart phone, with take up soaring by 104 per cent, which translates to 8.67 million units sold over the 12 month period to May 2012.

The report found that 9.2 million Australians went online with their mobile device, and 4.4 million people accessed the internet via a tablet device in the six months to May last year.

"The extraordinary rate of adoption and greater usage of smart phones underlines the critical and increasing importance of mobile and 4G services," said ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman.

" To support these wireless services, high speed mobile broadband, ‘fit for purpose’ spectrum frameworks and availability, and efficient infrastructure are the new essential."

Compared to other mobile phone users, smartphone users were:

  • nine times more likely to go online via their handsets
  • four times more likely to purchase goods online
  • three times more likely to stream or download audio or video content
  • three times more likely to pay bills online
  • twice as likely to access social networking sites.

The report concluded that the large-scale up-take of smart devices is driving broader innovations, including the use of the 'digital wallet' and mobile payments.

The report notes that continued rollout of mobile network upgrades, growth in 4G coverage and the increased use of WiFi hotspots are key drivers for the increase in smartphone ownership. In the June 2012 quarter, over two million Australians used a WiFi hotspot, 32 per cent up on the previous year.

In addition, the huge range of apps available for smartphones and tablets has increased their ease of use and functionality. The number of applications downloaded by smartphone users increased by 85 per cent during 2011–12, with over 4.45 million smartphone users downloading an app during June 2012.

A short report summary is also available.