Why Is Australian Internet So Bad? + Advice For A Better Connection

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As I write this, my Google Chrome browser wheel is on spin, and it’s been like this for the past five minutes. I ask myself; why is Australian internet so bad? This is 2024, why is Australia so far behind other developed countries when it comes to internet speeds.

Waiting on Australian internet happens a lot. It doesn’t matter if you’re in downtown Sydney, or the far reaches of the Outback, you’ll find slow internet speeds regardless.

What’s worse, is that Australia has the most expensive internet services of a developed country in the world.

So what’s the deal? Why do Australians suffer like this? In this guide, I’ve not only explained why slow internet is still an ordeal for Australians and how you travelers can get around it (well, the best you can!).

Why Is Australian Internet So Bad?

Australia’s poor internet speeds are awful for a number of reasons. According to the Global Speed Index, Australia’s broadband is ranked #70 in the world with a download speed of 75.99 mbps, according to information from October 2024. This is down 15 places from October 2023.

To put that into perspective for you, the global average download speed is 94.52 mbps, so Australia is seriously lagging.

There are a number of reasons for this, including:

Geography and population density

Australia is a vast country with a small population spread out over a large area. This makes it expensive to build and maintain internet infrastructure, especially in rural and remote areas.  

Outdated infrastructure

Australia’s internet infrastructure is based on old copper telephone lines, which are not designed for high-speed internet.

In 2009, the Coalition Australian government launched the National Broadband Network (NBN) project to upgrade the country’s internet infrastructure.

The NBN plans to offer broadband services to homes and businesses through a mix of hybrid fibre-coaxial connections.

However, the NBN has been plagued by delays, due to political issues and cost overruns, and it finally rolled out at the end of April 2024.

Despite this, Australians were so fed up waiting for the NBN rollout, many have sought other solutions for faster internet speeds and (more on that to follow).

Limited competition

The Australian internet market is dominated by a few large internet…