Broadband and GDP

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and IDC have released today a very useful macroeconomic study about the impact on GDP of increased broadband uptake.

The NZ Herald reports that achieving a 50% broadband uptake rate within ten years would add $7.2 billion to GDP in the long-term and doing it within five years would add $13.1 billion.

The global director of custom research for the EIU, said the study was very conservative in its estimates as it only measured broadband’s direct impact on GDP and didn’t consider any of its wider economic benefits.

If we are serious about catching up to Australia’s standard of living, then making the necessary regulatory environmental changes to increase broadband availability and uptake, is part of the mosaic of changes needed.