Australia - consistent performance led by strong business results

Australia performs strongly, moving up a rank to 7th on the Connectivity Scorecard 2010. An excellent performance in the business category, especially in business infrastructure, and a respectable result in consumer infrastructure have boosted its overall scores this year.

Australia’s performance in the business segment is particularly impressive, with a strong penetration of personal computers and secure internet servers. Similarly, Australian businesses report high broadband uptake and good usage of new enterprise data infrastructure. The country also boasts a high proportion of 3G connections and strong tele-density in the consumer infrastructure sub-category. Australia also does well on the government-related metrics, especially on the UN E-Government Readiness Index and in terms of the proportion of schools with broadband access. However, the Australian government’s non-military R&D spending is relatively modest.

The country delivers a weak performance in consumer usage and skills, largely due to its relatively modest voice and SMS usage and lack of reliable data on metrics such as frequent internet usage. While the National Broadband Network aims to develop and boost Australia’s broadband infrastructure, it appears to be primarily focused on improvements in last-mile access infrastructure. The country, therefore, needs more concerted efforts to boost its consumer infrastructure and address other weaknesses in its ICT performance.

Australia Connectivity Performance by Scorecard Component