What are communications like, such as international phone calls, broadband internet, and satellite TV
Almost all Australian homes (some 97 per cent) have a telephone, and Australia also has one of the highest per capita rates of mobile phone ownership in the world. Because of its huge size, telecommunications in Australia have always been a priority and today it has one of the highest standards of telecommunications in the world, employing the latest broadband cable, digital, fibre optic and satellite systems. In rural and remote areas, residents will soon receive their telecommunications services via satellite and enjoy the same services that are available in metropolitan centres. There are also solar-powered public telephone boxes in outback areas requiring no mains electricity.
Telephone Call Rates
Telstra offers several telephone packages under its 'Home Phone Plans' with monthly prices ranging from $29.95 to $89.90 plus call costs. Examples of international call costs to the UK, Ireland and North America cost $0.18 a minute with Optus and Primus (Desti-Nation plan), and $1 for ten minutes under Telstra's 'Homeline Plus' package. Packages may also include television services and some companies have 'reward schemes' with discounts on call costs when you accumulate a certain number of points. See Telstra’s website or call 13-2200 (local rate) for details and the latest offers.
Optus offers similar prices and options (some are as obscurely worded and difficult to understand as Telstra’s), with a reduction in line rental for ‘eligible pensioners’. See the Optus website (www.optus.com.au) or call 1800-501 064 (free in Australia) for details.
Most telephone companies offer the option to check your telephone use and cost at any time. To use this service, you must register online and log into your account on the company's website.
Not all payphones in Australia can be used to make international calls. Payphones allowing international calls are marked International Subscriber Dialling (ISD), or International Direct Dialling (IDD). These include all gold telephones. You can check by dialling ' 0011 (free). If it’s an ISD phone, you hear the message ‘congratulations, you’re connected to ISD’; if not, there’s no reply. International calls can also be made from Telstra telephone centres in the major cities and public telephone booths at major post offices.
Internet
Australia is one of the highest (per capita) users of the internet in the world – in 2008 over 75 per cent of the population were online or used the web. There are plans to install a high-speed National Broadband Network (NBN), although it’s likely to be many years before it becomes a reality. After being dropped from the NBN tender for failing to meet the requirements, Telstra announced plans to upgrade it’s own broadband lines to 100mbs (almost ten times the planned minimum NBN speed), although it will be restricted to the major metropolitan areas.
Surprisingly, for such a liberal country, the Australian government has proposed an internet filter and plans to block at least 1,300 websites, mostly featuring child pornography, excessive violence, instructions in crime or drug use, and advocacy of terrorism. It’s one of the strictest internet regulators in democratic countries and is seen as overkill by activists and internet users.
Broadband connection and ADSL/DSL are popular and most of the population have access to it. Some 20 companies provide broadband access, with monthly rates starting from around $40. Shop around as deals and conditions (e.g. a minimum 12 month contract) vary considerably – compare the line speed and any restrictions on downloads. Some of the best deals are for combined phone and internet packages.
There are internet service providers in all the major cities and many regional towns, and competition for customers is fierce. Major players include (in A-Z order) AAPT (www.aapt.com.au), Big Pond (Telstra, www.bigpond.com), Dodo (www.dodo.com.au), Grapevine (www.grapevine.com.au), iinet (www.iinet.com.au), Optus (www.optus.com.au), Virgin (www.virginbroadband.com.au), Vodaphone (www.vodaphone.com.au) and Woosh (www.woosh.com).
Travellers are well-catered for in Australia, where internet cafes (from around $1.50 an hour) abound in the major cities and many convenience and other stores also provide internet access.
An excellent website for comparing broadband providers and internet plans is Broadband Guide (http://broadbandguide.com.au), plus a list of companies serving each region and town.
Digital Television
Digital TV started in early 2001 in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, and in 2007 was available in all capital cities, many regional areas and some remote areas. To find out if digital TV is available in your area, go to www.dba.org.au (click on ‘Reception Locator’). Digital TV boxes cost from $70 to $1,200 and TVs with integrated digital boxes start at $900. Analogue TV will be ‘switched off’ between 2010 and 2012.
Pay Television
Pay (or subscription) TV was introduced in Australia in 1995 and shouldn’t be confused with pay-per-view, where subscribers pay on a per programme basis, e.g. for a live concert or sports event. With pay TV, viewers pay a monthly fee for a package of stations, delivered via cable or satellite. There are two major pay TV operators in Australia, Foxtel (www.foxtel.com.au), 50 per cent owned by Telstra, and Austar (www.austar.com.au), plus some smaller operators. Pay TV operators have been allowed to broadcast advertisements since 1997.
The installation of cables for pay TV in Australia was one of the largest and fastest such programmes undertaken anywhere in the world, and cable currently reaches over 3mn homes, mostly in major cities. Most homes in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney are cabled, plus parts of Adelaide and Perth. Broadband cable is used to deliver FM radio, high-speed internet access, pay TV, telephone, and other interactive services such as community information systems. It also enables operators to offer pay-per-view films and other broadcasts on demand.
Unlike satellite and cable TV in Europe and North America, pay TV in Australia doesn’t have sufficient big exclusive sports or entertainment specials to attract the average viewer (Australia’s climate also means that many people have better things to do than watch TV). Foxtel has some 1.5mn subscribers and Austar around 700,000. Foxtel covers around 70 per cent of the population and offers over 100 channels, while Austar specialises in coverage for regional and rural areas, and offers around 70 channels.
Foxtel is delivered by either cable (via the Telstra Cable network) or satellite and is available to households in metro areas, including Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast (cable only), Adelaide, Perth and Regional WA. You can check whether your home is covered by entering you postcode on their website (www.foxtel.com.au/overview.htm).
Foxtel and Austar both charge an installation fee of around $100 (but it’s much higher for homes with difficult access) plus a monthly subscription of from around $40, depending on the programme package. Foxtel packages run to over $100 for the top platinum package or over $130 for platinum HD. Foxtel iQ2 allows you to pause and rewind live TV and record two programs at the same time. Both Foxtel and Austar offer periodic free installation for customers who sign up for a 12-month subscription and may also offer the first month free. You can choose from a range of packages depending on your preferred viewing, e.g. sport or films. Subscriptions can be paid by cash at ANZ bank and post offices and by cheque, credit card, direct debit or money order.
Some cable companies offer inexpensive telephone and internet services, which may include free local off-peak calls, and it's possible to save enough on your telephone bill to pay for your cable TV. Foxtel may also be available on your mobile phone through Telstra or Next G.
Although Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney have been ‘cornered’ by Foxtel and Austar, the rest of the country is wide open and being exploited by small companies, such as Neighbourhood Cable (www.ncable.net.au) in Ballarat, Geelong and Mildura (VIC), who have encroached on the majors’ market share by offering broadband internet, telephone and TV services at reasonable prices. SelecTV (www.selectv.com) is a relatively new digital satellite TV service available throughout the Australian mainland. It offers various packages including premium (English), plus Greek, Italian and Spanish packages from $24.95 per month, and aims to provide a mix of the world's best pay TV channels.
Subscribers usually receive free monthly programme guides, which may also be available from newsagents. However, most Australian newspapers and TV guides virtually ignore pay TV and don't list any programmes, while some list only selected channels.
For more information see Living and Working in Australia by David Hampshire
