Australia’s one million household broadband boom

The number of Australian households with a broadband internet connection jumped by more then 50% to 3.5 million over the last year, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data released today.

More than a million new broadband connections were made in 2006-07, lifting the proportion of households with always-on internet services to 43%.

The rise in broadband connections is matched almost directly by a corresponding drop in dial-up connections, which declined 51% over the 12 months to July 2007.

Almost 60% of households in the Australian Capital Territory have broadband connections, the highest in the country. The lowest connections rates were in Tasmania on 32% and South Australia on 33%.

And it seems the younger the kids, the more likely a family is to have broadband: 57% of households with children under 15 had broadband access, compared to 38% households without kids.