• Improving network resilience. In a single week in 2020,1,406 telecommunications facilities went offline because of bushfires, Jeopardising the safety of many thousands of people.34
• The ability to meet changing demand. During the initial COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in April 2020, demand on the National Broadband Network (NBN) increased by an average of 71% during busy hours.35 Video conference operators reported an 85% rise in adoption rates.
• Over 30% of remote or very remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households have no internet access and the majority are still without basic telephony services,36 so the digital divide needs to close.
• Tackling the digital divide. In 2020, people in the bottom quintile for household income had a digital inclusion score (a measure of internet engagement) of 44, some 30 points lower than those in top-quintile high-income households.37
• Making sure all the economic benefits are realised. If it is fully enabled, 5G technology will yield a productivity benefit of 0.2% each year, equating to more than $50 billion in the first decade.38 This is eguivalent to between $1,300 and $2,000 per person in additional GDP.39