Although Australia has a relatively small population, it will take a top spot among industrialised countries in terms of broadband penetration, eMarketer reported. Like many other countries, the number of dial-up subscribers in Australia declined in 2007, while that of high-speed subscribers surged markedly, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Moreover, broadband reach in Australia has been growing strongly over the past few years. In 2007, its broadband household penetration reach was at 50 percent, and this year it will achieve more than 63 percent, or over 5 million households, research firm eMarketer predicted.

ADSL is by far the most popular broadband technology, with almost four million household users in 2008. Cable technology for broadband access followed with 785,000 users this year.

Generally, broadband penetration is predicted to continue to rise in the next four years, while in 2012 more than three-quarters of Australian households are projected to have broadband access.

Meanwhile, according to March 2008 data from Nielsen Online, e-mail was the most popular online activity in Australia last year, with 98 percent of online users surveyed saying so. Other favourite activities included online banking (72 percent) and bill payment (66 percent), according to eMarketer.