Mobile broadband boom in the bush highlights need for Mobile Black Spot Programme

New research showing a dramatic increase in mobile internet use in regional and remote Australia highlights the importance of the Abbott Government’s policy to spend $100 million on fixing mobile black spots, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher MP has said.

A new report by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has found that one in three adults in communities with less than 1,000 people went online using their mobile phone during December 2013 – up from a mere five per cent of people four years ago.

“What this study shows is that mobile connectivity is an indispensable feature of everyday life for people living in rural and regional Australia,” said Mr Fletcher. “I have visited over 30 electorates and taken part in more than 50 community meetings around Australia as we prepare to roll out the Abbott Government’s $100 million Mobile Black Spot Programme. The message I keep hearing is that mobile connectivity is essential for business, education, tourism, emergency services, and in response to natural disasters – particularly for people in small communities.”

“The Government expects to fund 250-300 new mobile base stations around Australia under the programme. We will commence a competitive selection process in the second half of this year, with a view to announcing the locations which have been selected for funding in the first half of 2015. The Government anticipates that the first base stations funded under the programme will begin to roll out in the second half of 2015.”

The ACMA report also found that Australians living outside major cities are also diversifying their online activities, with 59 per cent of adult internet users in communities with less than 1,000 people conducting five or more activities online compared to 34 per cent of people four years ago. These activities include email, research, banking, entertainment, blogging and social networking. In communities of less than 1,000 people, the proportion of internet users using the internet for blogs and online communities doubled from 22 per cent to 44 per cent in the last four years; while people using the internet for entertainment grew from 33 per cent to 52 per cent.

People living in communities with less than 1,000 people are also going online more often and at more locations. The report found that 46 per cent of all adults went online more than once a day compared to 33 per cent in December 2009, while 18 per cent of adult users went online at three or more locations (such as home, work, school, a library, or a Wi-Fi hotspot) compared to 12 per cent in December 2009.

The research results are available online at www.acma.gov.au/researchacma