Australians lead the world when it comes to buying smartphones, with almost one in two now using internet-capable mobiles. Picture: David Caird Source: Herald Sun
- Almost one in two Aussies own smartphones
- Telcos rushing to improve their networks
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AUSTRALIANS are leading the world when it comes to buying smartphones, with almost one in two people now using mobiles capable of connecting to the internet.
But our love affair with having an internet connection in our pockets is causing headaches for the telcos,The Daily Telegraph reported.
Their networks are struggling to keep up with the surge in demand for the data required for running email, web browsing and complicated applications such as Google maps.
Telstra's latest annual report showed almost one in two mobile phone customers has a smartphone, up from just 31 per cent a year ago.
The company predicted almost two-thirds of the population would be using an internet-connected phone within 12 months.That puts us well ahead of the US and the UK, where smartphone users make up only about 30 per cent of all mobile phone users.
Research from retail analyst firm GfK highlights just how quickly Australians are dropping their standard phones for new feature-packed models.
Sales of smartphones only outstripped regular phones for the first time during the first three months of the year.
But, during the following three-month period to June this year, for every regular phone sold there were two smartphones sold.
Falling prices are behind their skyrocketing popularity, with smartphones now available for less for $150.
But our rush to adopt the new technology is pushing mobile networks to their limit, with the Australian Communications and Media Authority predicting Australians would download 500 times as much data in 2020 as we did in 2007, the year the original Apple iPhone was released.
Telecommunications analyst Paul Budde said the rapid uptake of smartphones by consumers had caught the telcos by surprise and they were all spending up big to improve their networks.
Vodafone in particular has come under heavy criticism this year after its customers began reporting slow download speeds and network dead spots.
"Vodafone and Optus are catching up rapidly but, for Vodafone, their problems are not something you can fix on a Saturday afternoon. It takes a year," Mr Budde said.
"But they're not alone. Network failures have happened around the world in Great Britain and in Japan."
Much-maligned former Telstra chief Sol Trujillo deserved credit for investing in the world's first national 3G network, which put the company at the front of the pack, he said.
Mr Budde predicted that in the future consumers could look forward to cheaper costs for mobile internet as the network providers built more efficient 4G networks.
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