Internet Cables
A NBN Co worker arranges fibre-optic cables used in the National Broadband Network in west Sydney July 11, 2013. Reuters/Daniel Munoz

Technology has made it easy for businesses to compete internationally these days. That is of course, if it works correctly. While many areas of the world now enjoy super-fast broadband, some countries continue to lag behind in terms of speed. Unfortunately, Australia is one of them.

In fact, according to a global ranking of internet speeds, Australia even lags behind less developed countries such as Kazakhstan. In December 2017, it was ranked 55 th on the global list for fixed broadband, averaging a download speed of approximately 25.88Mbps. So, with such slow speeds compared to the rest of the world, is it possible for Australian businesses to compete internationally?

It’s possible, but not easy!

While internet speeds in Australia may be slow, they’re not non-existent. So, businesses can still carry out the same virtual tasks and operations as others can in faster countries. The trouble is, it may take slightly longer to do these tasks.

So, competing internationally is totally still possible, but it certainly isn’t as easy as it would be with faster connections.

Slow speeds could be improved if more people sign up to NBN

According to NBN (National Broadband Network), speeds in the country will increase as more people switch to NBN connections. They claim the issue lies with the majority of Australian’s still using slow ADSL connections.

Work is already underway to upgrade customers to NBN connections, with Telstra upgrading a staggering 850,000 businesses and households. NBN Co reduced its wholesale prices late in 2017 in order to allow providers to pass on the savings to their customers. It was concerned over the number of households and businesses still using the slower 25Mbps connections and hoped the reduction in price would encourage more to take up the faster 50Mbps connections. Data taken from last year showed that a staggering 80% of consumers were using a 25Mbps connection.

So, things are improving gradually, but more certainly needs to be done to push Australia further up the global internet speed rankings.

How can you improve your current speeds?

It’s great that speeds are set to increase in the not too distant future. However, what can you do right now if your connection could use a boost?

One thing you might want to consider is switching from a wireless to a wired connection. While wireless internet is more convenient, there are numerous things which can really slow it down. So, it could be worth switching to a wired connection instead.

Not only is a wired connection faster, but it also tends to be much more secure and stable too. This is a crucial benefit for businesses. You can purchase high quality cables and components needed for a wired connection from companies such as RS.

Overall, businesses in Australia can currently compete internationally with its current infrastructure. However, as its global rankings show, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to improve connection speeds in the country. The move to 50Mpbs over 25Mbps is certainly a positive step.