Clicking and streaming: Australian online habits evolve

Breaking: Australia’s 2025 Broadband Surge Keeps Data Climbing as Fibre Upgrades Roll Out

Queensland leads in data use as nationwide upgrades push speeds higher and streaming dominates traffic.

Breaking Update: Downloads Hit 508 GB Per Month On Average

Australian broadband downloads rose again in 2025, with average monthly downloads reaching about 508 gigabytes and uploads expanding by 12 percent.

analysts say changes to the network, including millions of free speed tier upgrades and new fibre connections, are accelerating usage, especially for streaming and online meetings.

Queenslanders exceeded other states for average data consumption for the third year running, followed by Western Australia and the ACT; Tasmanians recorded the lowest figures.

More than three-quarters of households now stream video, underscoring the shift toward on‑demand entertainment.

Key Figures: What Changed In 2025

The network’s 2025 update shows streaming video will account for a large share of downloads, with a forecast that 59 percent of all NBN downloads will be streaming by 2035.

Uploads remained led by teamwork and conferencing apps such as Microsoft teams and Zoom, representing about 24 percent of traffic.

Free speed upgrades for 2.7 million users in September, and free fibre upgrades for eligible premises beginning in January, boosted speeds nationwide.

The fibre footprint now stands at 3.5 million premises, with about 622,000 more to be connected by 2030.

Around 12,000 households each week moved to faster and more reliable fibre connections in 2025, according to NBN Co.

long‑Term Outlook

Australia recently ranked 42nd in the Ookla global broadband speed tests, marking a climb from earlier in the year, reflecting faster connections across the country.

Industry observers say the combination of upgrades and expanding competition,including satellite options,will keep data consumption rising as more households adopt high‑bandwidth services.

Data At A Glance

Key 2025 Broadband Metrics

Metric	Value
Average monthly downloads	508 GB
Annual download growth vs 2019	About +10%
Annual upload growth	About +12%
Streaming share of downloads (2035 forecast)	59%
Fibre premises connected (built)	3.5 million
Additional premises to connect by 2030	~622,000
Premises upgraded with free speed tier (Sept 2025)	2.7 million
Top data consumer state	Queensland

Context and comparison: For global context on speeds, seeOokla’s global index: Ookla Global Index.

Reader Questions

How is your household adapting to higher data usage and faster speeds?

Which streaming services or collaboration tools drive your monthly data consumption?

Join The Conversation

Share your experiences with faster broadband and higher data use in the comments, or join the discussion on social media.

Disclaimer: This article reflects network data and forecasts from 2025 and is intended for informational purposes.

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The Mobile‑First Click Landscape

Desktop decline, mobile dominance

• Stat: In the 2024 Australian Digital Media Report, mobile devices accounted for 68 % of all web clicks, up from 60 % in 2021.
• Why it matters: Page‑load speed,responsive design,and touch‑pleasant navigation now dictate bounce rates.

Key tactics for marketers

1. Prioritise Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). Sites that adopt AMP see a 15 % reduction in average load time and a 12 % lift in click‑through rates (CTR).
2. Implement voice‑search optimisation. With 22 % of Australian mobile users employing voice assistants weekly, natural‑language keywords improve visibility.

Streaming Surge: Subscription Saturation & Platform Diversification

Growth metrics

• Total streaming hours in Australia rose to 1.9 billion in 2025, a 9 % YoY increase (Nielsen Australia).
• Five major players (Netflix, Stan, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Binge) now share 78 % of the market, while niche services (Crunchyroll, Paramount+) capture the remaining 22 %.

Consumer behavior shifts

• Hybrid viewing: 48 % of users alternate between live TV and on‑demand libraries within the same session.
• Co‑watching rise: 31 % of households use “watch‑together” features on social platforms, indicating a blend of streaming and social interaction.

the Impact of 5G and Ultra‑Fast Broadband

Speed translates to consumption

• 5G rollout in major cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) increased average download speeds from 85 mbps (4G) to 210 Mbps (5G) (Australian Communications and Media Authority, 2025).
• Result: A 27 % spike in 4K/HD stream starts during peak evening hours.

Practical implications

• Adaptive bitrate streaming must be fine‑tuned to leverage higher bandwidth without inflating data costs.
• Content creators should consider short‑form vertical video (15-60 seconds) for 5G‑enabled social feeds, where engagement rates are 3× higher than traditional 16:9 formats.

Advertising Evolution: Click‑Through vs. View‑Through

Shift from banner to native & programmatic

• Banner ad CTR fell to 0.08 % in 2025, while native ad CTR averaged 0.42 % (eMarketer).
• Programmatic video ads now deliver a 1.6× higher view‑through rate (VTR) compared with static display.

Data‑driven targeting

• First‑party data usage increased by 34 % after the 2024 Australian Privacy Amendment limited third‑party cookie reliance.
• Brands employing cookieless audience segmentation reported a 12 % uplift in conversion rate.

Real‑World Case Study: Stan’s “Aussie Originals” Campaign

• Objective: Boost subscriber acquisition among 18‑34 year‑olds.
• Strategy: Integrated clickable overlays on Instagram Reels, paired with a limited‑time free‑trial link.
• Outcome:
• Click‑through rate: 0.67 % (vs. industry average 0.31 %).
• New subscriptions: 42,000 in the first month, a 27 % increase over the previous campaign.
• Lesson: Seamless click pathways from short‑form video to landing pages accelerate conversion.

Benefits of an Integrated Click‑and‑Stream Approach

• Higher engagement: Users who click on interactive elements while streaming stay 22 % longer on platforms.
• Cross‑channel attribution: Unified metrics enable precise ROI calculation for both ad spend and content production.
• Improved personalization: Real‑time click data feeds proposal engines, increasing average watch time by 8 %.

Practical Tips for Content Creators & Marketers

1. Design click‑ready thumbnails – use contrast and clear call‑to‑action (CTA) text; thumbnails with faces achieve a 14 % higher CTR.
2. Leverage “skip‑intro” analytics – identify the exact second users begin skipping to optimise opening sequences.
3. Deploy shoppable video plugins – embed product links directly into live streams; Australian e‑commerce conversion rates rise to 3.5 % when shoppable features are present.
4. Test micro‑segments – A/B test 10‑second intro variations for each demographic (e.g., surf culture vs. urban lifestyle) to refine click funnels.
5. Monitor bandwidth‑friendly codecs – HEVC and AV1 reduce data usage by 30 %, keeping viewers engaged on mobile metered plans.

Future Outlook: Anticipating 2026 Trends

• Interactive streaming experiences (choose‑your‑own‑adventure narratives) projected to capture 12 % of total streaming hours by 2026.
• AI‑generated personalised playlists will increase repeat‑visit frequency by 18 %,as machine‑learning models predict content preferences with >90 % accuracy.
• privacy‑first click tracking through server‑side tagging will become the norm, ensuring compliance while retaining granular performance insights.