Australia’s nbn data usage surges by almost 25%

Australians' appetite for video streaming services is driving broadband data use.

NBN Co today released key network insights which show that Australians are data obsessed, with the rise in the number of connected devices in the home and video streaming changing how and when we interact online.  

The insights reveal data consumption on the nbn™ broadband access network has increased by almost 25 per cent in the past 12 months, meaning the average Australian is now consuming about 258GBs of data month – or – 367 hours of video calls a month*.

Some of the other findings include:

• We are a content hungry nation – Australians consumed more than 1.35 billion GB of data in June this year, that’s the equivalent of watching the David Attenborough’s Planet Earth – in High Definition – over 30.6 million times.
• The streaming effect – Australian’s viewing habits have changed, with real time video streaming now dominating data consumption, with web browsing a close second.   
• Data growth showing no signs of slowing – Between December 2012 and June 2019 download consumption per month on the nbn™ access network has increased by 820 per cent.
• East coast Australians are the most data hungry – New South Wales consumed the largest amount of data and saw the greatest year-on-year increase in data consumption, jumping nearly one third (31.2 per cent). Queenslanders were most voracious, with the average Queenslander wolfing down about 274GB of data a month.
• City versus regional data consumption – The divide between rural and metropolitan Australia is getting closer, with data showing regional average monthly use per user is 246GBs compared to 270GB in metro.
• Seasonal trends – The holidays are spent online, with January and April seeing an increase in data demand over the past two years during holiday periods.
• Mid-week peak – Wednesdays and Sundays the busiest days on the network.

NBN Co, Chief Technology Officer, Ray Owen, said:

“Whether it is at home or at work, Australian’s are consuming more data than ever before. Access to fast broadband services is driving a change in the way we interact online, especially as connected devices, streaming services, and flexible working arrangements become the norm. We expect these numbers to continue to grow as more and more homes and business connect to the network.  

Telsyte, Managing Director, Foad Fadaghi, said:*

“Australia’s hunger for data continues to grow thanks to the increasing amount of modern technology in most Australian homes today – including smart home entertainment systems, subscription video on demand (SVOD), broadcast video on demand (BVOD) gaming consoles, computers and tablets. The domestic market for Internet of Things at Home (IoT@Home) is forecast to reach $5.3 billion by 2023, and more than half of the households in Australia have already started their smart home journey with at least one IoT@Home product installed at the end of last year.

 “NBN has emerged as the most important IoT@Home related feature when Australians move into a new home, which reflects how data and connectivity have taken a priority in our daily lives.”

There are currently more than 6 million Australians connected to the nbn access network, to check when you can connect visit www.nbnco.com.au

Notes to editors

• These insights were drawn from active services on the nbn™ access network across Australia. The information used for the June 2019 period.
• Total data usage – 1,359,111,574GB or 1.35EBs.
• nbn average data consumption per end user, in June 2019: 258GB (up from 207GBs year on year). Data consumption increased by 24.6% year on year.
• Average metro/non-metro breakdown of total data consumption 2019 (%) – 52/48.
• NSW consumed the most data of any state; following population size. However, Queenslanders on average, consumed more data that their counterparts - consuming on average 274 GB per end user in June 2019.
• The hungriest consumer lives in Queensland and consumed 26,807 GB in June 2019 alone.
• NSW also saw the greatest year-on-year increase in data consumption, growing by 20.7% (from 208 gigabytes to 251 GB per end user).
• Tasmanians were the least data hungry in June consuming on average 231 GB per end user in the month.
• As a state, Victoria consumes the second largest amount of data. In addition, four out of the top 20 individual consumers also live in the garden state.

*Based on estimate of 700MB used per hour call.