One Step Ahead

I reported recently that Australia has recently hit the million user mark with broadband access. However, that still puts us two years behind other developed countries, according to consulting company AT Kearney.

Part of this is due to technical reasons (Australia's infrastructure doesn't support the very high-speed access that other countries enjoy), and part of it is political (for example, Australian law requires "Universal Service Obligation" for its telecommunications network, which means in effect that if everybody can't have it, then nobody can). The Australian government is also doing less than many of its OECD counterparts in providing governmnet support for broadband access.

What does this mean for your Web site? Simple: Don't rely on your users having broadband access. You still have to design your site so that the 90% of other users can access it effectively.