In August, Statistics New Zealand released the results of the latest Internet Service Providers Survey, taken in March 2008. For this survey, questionnaires were sent to sixty ISPs in New Zealand. Various questions were asked. I was interested in those related to broadband versus dial-up.
Users of the Internet increased, over the six month period from September 2007, to 1.5 million. The percentage of broadband users is now just over 59%, leaving around 41%, or 613,000, languishing on dial-up. Admittedly this has decreased around 9% in the same period, but it is still a considerable number.
There are many reasons why someone would choose to stay on dial-up. They may only want email, therefore dial-up is the best solution. I believe the most likely reason, is their budget may not allow them to afford the higher price of a broadband connection. This, I believe, is also the reason for the lower levels of Internet use by Senior Citizens, Maori, and Pacific Islanders.
This theory is confirmed by a report from the World Internet Project, on New Zealand Internet use, which coincided with the Statistics New Zealand survey. This report confirms that the Internet is the domain of young, urban pakeha with money. The over sixties, Maori, and Pacific Islanders, are substantially less likely to use the Internet.
What we are seeing in New Zealand is a three-way split between those that can afford broadband Internet connection, those that can only afford dial-up, and those that can not afford any connection at all. There is probably nothing that can be done to make the Internet more available to those with a small disposable income, but perhaps there is something that can be done about those that can only afford dial-up.
Recently I was subjected to an experience that I had not had for some years. I had to use a dial-up connection. It was not a pleasant experience, and web pages took a much longer time to load than I remember. There could be two reasons for this, one is that my memory is playing tricks, and the other is that the web designers of today’s websites are designing their pages only for broadband users. I plump for the later reason.
One has only to take a look at TVNZ’s horror show of a website, or try to use stuff.co.nz on a dial-up line to see what I mean. You might as well take a walk to the dairy and buy the Dominion Post – you will be home before the Stuff website displays on your computer monitor.
The BBC has two different ways of presenting its news website. It has the normal high graphic version, and a lower quality version. The lower quality version is not only better for people with slower Internet connections, but it is also better for the sight impaired to use, with a “speaking web browser”.
The fact that the BBC can supply a website for dial-up connections proves it can be done. There are demographics showing senior citizens will soon be a sizable percentage of New Zealand’s population as the baby boomers reach their mature years. Among them are some heavy Internet users. What is going to happen when they can only afford dial-up?
We need a two pronged attack. The first must be cheaper, affordable broadband for all, the second must be thoughtfully designed websites that work well in both the broadband and dial-up environments.
