The ACMA has today released new research providing insights into current trends and developments in the Australian media and communications environment.
In 2025, internet access among Australian adults remained almost universal at 99.7 per cent. More of us used mobile phones to go online more frequently with the proportion of adults accessing the internet via mobile phones rising to 97 per cent (from 95 per cent in 2024). Daily mobile internet use also increased to 92 per cent from 90 per cent in 2024.
There was also a continued rise in the use of smart TVs, used by 64 per cent of adults in 2025 compared with 61 per cent the previous year.
In contrast, household landline use continued its long-term decline. Only 12 per cent of Australian adults used a landline phone in 2025, down from 15 per cent in 2024 and 54 per cent in 2017.
While overall internet activity access and usage remained steady, several key activities showed a notable rebound after a period of post-pandemic decline, with many returning to levels observed in 2022 and 2023. Notably, 'accessing government services via apps' and 'video conferencing or calling' both increased, reversing declines seen in the previous year.
The research is comprised of three reports which have all been published on the ACMA website:
The Trends and developments report provides overarching insights into telecommunications, while the 'How we' publications are interactive online reports which explore the ongoing changes to the Australian media and communications landscape.
The reports have been published as part of the ACMA's Communications and media in Australia series, which features times series data looking at topics such as internet usage, broadcast and streaming consumption, mobile phone use and digital platforms.
The series draws on industry data and our annual consumer survey to provide an overview of the telecommunications, radiocommunications and broadcasting sectors each financial year.
