Maybe we’ve got enough mobile broadband for the moment. In its most recent quarter, Optus saw its growth in new mobile broadband customers shrink dramatically.
Picture by Alpha
Last time we checked out Optus’s numbers, it had 1.55 million mobile broadband subscribers. It now has 1.58 million, having added 26,000 in the last quarter. While seasonality may well be a factor, that’s considerably down on the 94,000 Optus added in the previous three months.
Telstra (which only reports every six months) has been growing its mobile broadband base at a much faster clip. That might be in part due to its rather more extensive 4G network; Optus has only just launched limited regional trials of its 4G service. But existing customers can be grateful that they’re not competing for bandwidth to the same extent.
Recent ABS figures suggest that Australians are very keen on mobile broadband, with 5.49 million of us already signed up. In that context, a slowdown in growth isn’t altogether surprising: it seems unlikely that every person you might will want a live connection everywhere they go. Though if you’re a Lifehacker reader, the odds are much higher.
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