Household phone and internet bills up by $44 a month

The cost of telecommunications in the average household has increased by $44 a month in the past year, according to a new survey from AAPT.

Survey, which used the results from 1000 respondents, finds 35% of households surveyed said they are spending more money on telco costs than a year previously, with mobile and internet services cited as more than one third of the bills.

More than one in three homes said keeping up with new technology for their children was hurting the household budget. AAPT head of corporate communications Tahn Shannon says Australians need to shop around.

“It’s becoming clear that Australians don’t consider broadband and mobile phones discretionary purchases – these are increasingly deemed necessities, and households are struggling to keep up with home telecommunications costs,” Shannon says.

“Interestingly, despite the surge in monthly expenditure, more than 50% of households rarely or never consider telecommunications offers to assess if they’re on the best deal for their needs.”

The survey also found 65% of respondents said they find it hard to compare offers from telcos, while homes in Victoria and Tasmania are more likely to experience increases in monthly spending.