Telstra Corp’s BigPond service has grabbed the top spot in Australia’s retail internet service provider market, snaring 23.1% of the country’s 1.54 million subscribers as of March 31, according to a report from investment bank ABN Ambro Australia.
In second place was previous market leader OzEmail, which had 321,590 subscribers, or 20.8% of the total followed by late market entrant Cable & Wireless Optus which was a distant third with 61,200 retail subscribers. The only other ISPs with substantial market share were One.net with around 56,000 subscribers, TPG Internet and Eisa. A host of small ISPs shared around 40% of the market.
Amro said total ISP revenue last year was A$390m ($257m) and expects it to reach A$421m ($277m) in 1999 and A$490m ($322m) in 2000. Total internet services revenue, including advertising, content services, web site hosting and information services was expected to reach A$815m ($536m) this year and A$1.27bn ($836m) in 2000.
