ACMA: Mobile internet closing internet gap between rural and cities

Mobile internet is rapidly closing the gap of internet access and usage between the major cities of the state and its rural areas according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

ACMA provided an infographic in the study, Regional Australia and the Digital Economy that detailed the fast rising usage and its statistics of mobile internet in the rural areas.

There has been a sharp rise of internet usage since 2009 where 46 percent of adults are using mobile devices to access the internet from last year. In 2009, it was 10%.

According to the research, streaming videos has seen the sharpest rise in usage, overtaking the clusters that preferred to download content for watching. Despite the surge in streaming content, Australians are still increasingly diversifying their internet usage with email, chat, blogging, social media usage and transacting online.

ACMA admitted that the there are still gaps between the regional participants, but the availability of mobile internet has made a significant contribution and the figures are estimated to grow next year as internet usage overall is showing no sign of slowing down as Australians have embraced the internet for everyday use, rural or urban.

“What this study shows is that mobile connectivity is an indispensable feature of everyday life for people living in rural and regional Australia,” said parliamentary secretary to the minister for communications Paul Fletcher.

Despite the growth of mobile internet usage, some areas are still inaccessible with the service according to a collective study by the Department of Communications that locates specifically areas with “black spots” in mobile coverage.

 “What this study shows is that mobile connectivity is an indispensable feature of everyday life for people living in rural and regional Australia,” said parliamentary secretary to the minister for communications Paul Fletcher.

 The government has an initiative and it’s duly outlined in addressing these mobile black spots for the next four years.

 “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 AU$100 million Mobile Black Spot Programme,” said Fletcher. “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.

 Around the world, particularly in the United States, mobile internet is seen further overtaking desktop use according to a recent study by the research firm, Enders Analysis. Smartphone and Tablet computers are attributed to the short fall of PC sales while ISP and data providers declared that mobile internet subscription had brisk sales, outpacing that of DSL subscribers.

Tags: black spots, internet