We all get bombarded with ads promising ADSL2+ internet that is faster than the speed of light. But it's no secret that there are blackspots all around the country and even parts of the major cities.
Naturally, internet speeds can be compromised by a high density of devices using that particular network tower, but come on, it's 2017 and Australia is a major Western nation and yet we can't seem to get decent internet.
But new research has revealed just how shit the internet really is.
Those dreaded flashing lights. Credit: PA
According to Akamai's State of the Internet Report, Australia is ranked 50th in the world for its internet speeds, with the average rate sitting at 11.1 megabits per second. For comparison, South Korea is number one on that list with 28.6Mbps, Norway came in second with 23.5Mbps and Sweden was close behind with 22.5Mbps.
How the hell are people supposed to be able to do stuff on the internet when we're nearly three times slower than the best?
But it's when you compare Australia's rates with other countries around the world that you realise how far behind we are. Middle Eastern country Qatar is on an average of 13.7Mbps while Kenya is hovering on 12.2Mbps.
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Australia is still waiting to fully see the benefits of Kevin Rudd's 2009 National Broadband Network. It has a goal of connecting eight million properties by 2020, but the entire project has suffered continual setbacks and some customers have been reportedly 'seriously dissatisfied' by the service.
New Street Research telecommunications analyst Ian Martin has told Bloomberg: "It will never be a success financially, not in terms of ever getting the money back that's been spent on it. To do it as a nationalised government monopoly was clearly the wrong way to go."
Strangely, there have been reports that NBN Co have been targeting areas in Australia which already have fast broadband, as opposed to looking at the more remote regions of the country. Despite those people arguably needing a decent internet connection more than someone who already has it, NBN Co announced in 2014 that it would be targeting properties who were already receiving broadband from service provider TPG.
One of the only places where Australia is higher up on the food chain is mobile connectivity, with the land girt by sea topping the Asia Pacific region with 15.7 Mbps. But it's still a far cry away from places like Germany (24.1Mbps) and Finland (21.6Mpbs).
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Sources: Bloomberg, Akamai, Australian Financial Review