Leading the growth surge are small to medium enterprises (SMEs), which saw a growth in Internet access of 33 percent, to 475,360. The number of SMEs with a Web site or home page is now 148,540, an increase of 51 percent.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) also reports that very small businesses have a high penetration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use, with 79 percent using computers, 64 percent with Internet access and 14 percent with a Web presence.
Overall, 84 percent of all businesses use a computer, 69 percent have Internet access and 22 percent have a presence on the Web.
The gap between regional and metropolitan areas in ICT use is minimal, according to the ABS, with business use of the Internet growing at 35 percent in capital cities and 31.5 percent outside of capital cities, with penetration of Internet use at 71 percent and 65 percent respectively.
