8 December 2023
By Hannah Wilcox
A new state government index of digital connectivity has shown big disparities in the local area, with St Leonards achieving a perfect score while Cremorne Point scored way below state and city averages.
The NSW Government’s Digital Connectivity Index was released on Wednesday, highlighting which suburbs statewide have the best access to the internet, via both mobile and fixed broadband.
Each suburb or LGA was scored on its quality and effectiveness of digital connectivity – the higher the score, the more favourable the conditions for digital activities such as remote work, online learning or mobile internet usage.
Made up of more than 200 million data points, the tool was developed by the NSW Telco Authority with support from NSW Spatial Services.
The North Sydney LGA was highly rated, coming in at 89.
Taking a closer look at the suburbs within the local area, St Leonards scored the highest with an all-round score of 100.
Next in was Cammeray rated 97, Kurraba Point and Waverton tied with a score of 96, then Neutral Bay with a 95.
Milsons Point was rated a 93 with Lavender Bay not too far behind on 91.
Coming in at 89 was Cremorne and Wollstonecraft, with Mosman and McMahons Point on 88.
Crows Nest scored an 85.
Notably, all of the suburbs within the North Sydney LGA scored within the 90s for all three categories (access, affordability, demographics) except for Cremorne Point – which came in last with a measly 48.
Metro suburbs averaged a score of 64, whilst suburbs in regional towns shockingly averaged 16.
“Digital technology is transforming the way people do business and access services, so understanding the reliability and uptake of digital technology across communities is an important first step in making targeted decisions,” Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said.
“It is a priority for this Government to ensure everyone can confidently access and utilise the internet. The NSW Digital Connectivity Index will help identify areas where we may be able to provide support and work with other levels of government and industry to develop solutions.”
Dib added: “The suburb-by-suburb detail of this tool, measuring connectivity by access, affordability and demographics, is a first for Australia. It sets us on the path to building digital inclusion and community safety, from improving connectivity during natural disasters to identifying blackspots.”
The index can be seen here.