New research from the Bureau of Communications and Arts Research (BCAR) has revealed that bandwidth demand and data downloads are set to increase dramatically over the next decade.
The Bureau’s latest report, Demand for fixed-line broadband in Australia 2018–2028—working paper, estimates that household bandwidth demand across the nation will more than double by 2028.
“The research estimates that in 2018, 95 per cent of Australian households had peak bandwidth demand of 24 megabits per second (Mbps) or less, but that this will increase to 56 Mbps by 2028,” the Bureau said.
“Growth in household bandwidth demand is expected to be driven by video streaming and uptake of higher resolution formats, such as 4K and 8K television,” it said.
“Increased adoption of streamed gaming and virtual reality will also add to this demand.”
The BCAR said the demand for bandwith by small business would also be driven by video streaming as well as other applications, such as file transfers and web browsing.
“Industries that provide guest WiFi, such as education and accommodation, are forecast to have the greatest bandwidth demand among small businesses,” it said.
“The research also examined household data downloads and found that household data downloads are estimated to increase from 199 gigabytes (GB) per month in 2018, to 767 GB in 2028.”
It said this represented an average annual growth rate of 14 per cent over the forecast period, with the increased uptake of higher resolution video streaming being the main driver for the growth.
The Bureau’s six-page fact sheet on its findings can be accessed at this PS News link.
