[LINK] Fwd: MR 130 Australians hunger for choice in communications

[Antony Barry]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Australian Communications and Media Authority" <media at acma.gov.au>
> Date: 8 December 2011 10:06:50 AM AEDT
> To: <tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au>
> Subject: MR 130 Australians hunger for choice in communications
> Reply-To: emma.rossi at acma.gov.au
> 
> Australians hunger for choice in 
> communications
> 
> Research released today by the Australian 
> Communications and Media Authority suggests 
> that Australians continue to embrace multiple 
> communication technologies, with the mobile 
> phone, the rise of the smartphone and 
> internet-based communications complementing 
> traditional fixed-line telephony. 
> 
> According to the report—Converging 
> communications channels: Preferences and 
> behaviours of Australian communications users
> —in the six months to April 2011, 84 percent 
> of adults in fixed-line telephone households 
> used three or more communication technologies 
> compared to 82 per cent at April 2010. 
> 
> Most (57 per cent) adult consumers used three 
> communication technologies (a fixed-line 
> telephone, a mobile phone and the internet), 
> while a further 27 per cent also used Voice 
> over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for voice 
> calls.
> 
> ‘While the fixed-line telephone continues to 
> be used by the majority of Australians, 
> increasing numbers are choosing to do without 
> a fixed-line phone relying instead on their 
> mobile phone for the bulk of their voice 
> communications,’ said ACMA Chairman, Chris 
> Chapman. 
> 
> At June 2011, 19 per cent of adults did not 
> have a home fixed-line telephone, up from 16 
> per cent at June 2010 and, not surprisingly, 
> this group is leading the way for the 
> adoption of smartphones (e.g. iPhone and 
> Blackberry phones).
> 
> ‘Smartphones are playing a major role in 
> enabling converged communications, with users 
> more likely to use online communication 
> services such as email, social networking and 
> VoIP via their handsets than other mobile 
> phone users,’ said Mr Chapman. 
> 
> At April 2011, 89 per cent of adult consumers 
> in fixed-line telephone households used a 
> mobile phone. Smartphones users accounted for 
> 37 per cent of mobile phone users overall, 
> with half of those who have a mobile phone 
> and no fixed-line telephone service in their 
> home using smartphones.
> 
> ‘Increasing functionality of smartphones and 
> handset innovations (bigger screens and easy-
> to-use interface etc), are driving adoption, 
> with smartphone users being the most active 
> users of online services via mobiles in 
> Australia’.
> 
> In the six months to April 2011:
> •    74 per cent of smartphone users 
> accessed email via their handsets, compared 
> to 46 per cent of other mobile phone users
> •    74 per cent accessed social 
> networking sites, compared to 49 per cent for 
> other mobile users, while
> •    72 per cent downloaded applications, 
> compared to 42 per cent for other mobile 
> phone users.
> 
> Approximately 60 per cent of adult internet 
> users in Australia were estimated to have 
> undertaken social networking activities 
> online in the six months to April 2011, while 
> 34 per cent of adults used a VoIP service—
> typically via their computer, a rise of two 
> percentage points since April 2010.
> 
> Email services were the dominant cloud 
> computing service used by Australians. In the 
> six months to April 2011, 68 per cent of 
> Australian adults online used email services 
> such as Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo!Mail.
> 
> ‘The dynamic online environment will continue 
> to provide voice-, text- and increasingly 
> video-based communications, characterised by 
> increased diversity in services and service 
> providers,’ Mr Chapman said. 
> 
> This report is the second of three reports to 
> be published under the ACMA’s Communications 
> report series, 2010–11. Other reports in this 
> series include: 
> •    Report 1—e-commerce marketplace in 
> Australia: Online shopping, (released on 16 
> November 2011)
> •    Report 3—The emerging mobile 
> telecommunications service market in 
> Australia. (due for release December 2011)
> 
> They complement the ACMA Communications 
> report 2010–11 which is produced to fulfil 
> its reporting obligations under section 105 
> of the Telecommunications Act 1997. 
> 
> The ACMA’s research generally is intended to 
> build an evidence base to better inform its 
> development of advice and regulation. 
> 
> For more information or to arrange an 
> interview please contact: Emma Rossi, Media 
> Manager, on (02) 9334 7719, 0434 652 063 or 
> media at acma.gov.au.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 
>