Australia Has The Least Affordable Entry-Level Broadband In The Developed World

It's no secret that broadband internet in Australia is a bit rough.

While our mobile speeds are some of the best in the world, our broadband is very, very low on the list when you compare to others.

Well, more data has shed light on just how terrible it is to try and surf the net on your computer or through your TV.

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Information from UK-based broadband market analytics firm Point Topic has revealed that Australia has the least affordable entry-level access to broadband among developed economies.

We ranked 67th out of 83 countries, beating the likes of Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Colombia.

But when you only take into account the countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Land Down Under came dead last - how depressing.

Seizing on the bad figures, Labor's communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland has asked the government to investigate what can be done to improve Australia's standing in the world.

She's told AAP: "Given the concerns of the ACCC, consumer groups, and this recent Point Topic data, ensuring entry-level broadband prices are affordable should be a priority.

"It's time the government stopped playing the role of a disingenuous bystander that is conveniently uninterested in the problems they have created, and instead demonstrated some leadership in addressing these challenges."

This is on top of figures released earlier this year that showed Australia was ranked 62nd in terms of broadband speeds. Singapore took out the top spot, according to Ookla, with 199.62Mbps, with Hong Kong, Monaco and Romania coming in behind.

Those figures mean our internet is worse than Kazakhstan's, Ukraine's and Trinidad and Tobago's. You'd think a country like ours would be much higher on the list but sadly we're not.

This shouldn't be a surprise considering a separate survey done in 2017 found Australia's internet was pretty shitty.

According to Akamai's State of the Internet Report, Australia was ranked 50th in the world for its internet speeds, with the average rate sitting at 11.1 megabits per second.

For comparison, South Korea was number one on that list with 28.6Mbps, Norway came in second with 23.5Mbps and Sweden was close behind with 22.5Mbps.

Alternatively, Australia is the fifth best country in the world for mobile internet, with Norway, Canada, Qatar and the Netherlands taking out the top four spots.

So next time you're wondering why your Netflix or YouTube video is buffering again, just realise loads of Aussies are dealing with the same thing.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Interesting, Community, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie