With a population of under 20 million living in an area roughly the size of the United States, Australia presents unique challenges to ISPs. Life for ISPs is getting tougher, as the number of ISPs fell for the first time during the year 2000, from a peak of about 800 to the 718 counted in the report. The remote island of Tasmania accounted for only 76,000 subscribers. The majority of the online population lives in the urbanized states in the Southeast. New South Wales and Victoria, the states that are smallest in land area but have the most population and wealth, together account for 2.321 million subscribers.
Small businesses are the most numerous.
Therefore, although the largest ISPs rule the roost, it appears that niche players continue to thrive. Most Australian ISPs are involved in e-commerce. Each month top Internet and Business executives meet at our exclusive Breakfastforums in Sydney and Melbourne.