NEW RESEARCH ON PHONE AND INTERNET USE: NOT ALL BENEFIT FROM COMPETITION

A major study of telecommunications use by Australian households has found that not all are sharing in the benefits of competition in the telco industry.

One Size Fits None is a report by the Communications Law Centre, based at the University of New South Wales and Victoria University. It is based on a detailed survey of more than 1200 households in metropolitan and regional areas across Australia.

Dr Derek Wilding, Director of the Communications Law Centre and co-author of the report, said the research reveals a complex pattern of telecommunications use.

"The 'average household' does not exist and we should be cautious in using this concept to measure the consumer outcomes of telecommunications policy," he said.

The report highlights another side to internet take-up figures - that of the emerging disparity between two classes of households with children.

"Households with children are big users of the internet - 58% of households with children had internet access at home, compared to 36% of those without children. But when we compare these results to the numbers of households with a second phone line, we find a huge disparity based on income: only 8% of low income households with children had two lines, compared to 30% of higher income households," said Dr Wilding.

The report also finds that in many cases consumers have little capacity to take advantage of pricing plans. "Low income households were less likely to support reduction in call charges and increased rental as they already kept calls to a minimum. In contrast, higher income households expressed a preference for higher rental and lower call costs," said Dr Wilding.

The report was funded by the Commonwealth Department of Communications, IT and the Arts.

CONTACT DETAILS: Derek Wilding, Communications Law Centre, tel. 0425 242 401, (02) 9385 7372/7385 or Denise Knight, UNSW Public Affairs and Development, tel. (02) 9385 3192.