Mobile wireless broadband connections (excluding mobile handsets) accounted for 47% of all internet connections as at 31 December 2011, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.


Overall, the number of internet subscribers in Australia climbed 6.3% to 11.6 million in the six months to December 2011, up from 10.9 million in June 2011. 

There were 5.5 million mobile wireless broadband connections (excluding mobile handsets), an increase of 14.7% compared with June 2011. Over the same time period, DSL connections increased by 1.3%, to 4.6 million.

The number of internet subscribers with advertised download speeds of 24Mbps or greater reached the 1 million mark for the first time, accounting for 10% of subscribers. 

However, the advertised download speed with the highest number of subscribers was the 1.5Mbps to less than 8Mbps range, with 5.1 million, or 44% of subscribers.

At the end of December 2011, there were 11 million mobile handset internet subscribers in Australia, an increase of 13.6% from June 2011.

Further information is available in Internet Activity, Australia (cat. no. 8153.0).