A significant number of people experience weekly buffering issues, according to new research by Finder, Australia’s most visited comparison site.

Finder research revealed the majority of Aussies (54%) – equivalent to 10.5 million people – experienced an internet dropout in 2021.

A staggering 1 in 3 Aussies (36%) experience weekly buffering issues.

Australians collectively spent 69 billion hours on the internet in 2021 according to We Are Social, with the average Aussie spending 6 hours and 13 minutes online each day.

However, 1 in 7 (14%) Australians are somewhat or extremely dissatisfied with their internet speed.

Angus Kidman, tech expert at Finder, said Australians rely heavily on their internet connection.

“We're online all the time, so it's no surprise that we freak out when our connection doesn't work.

“Shoddy internet can cause major stress, and if you're not also spending time away from tech, the impact on your health can be substantial.”

Internet speed per state

Finder analysed more than 44,000 speed tests conducted on the Finder website between May 2021 and May 2022 to find out which state has the fastest speeds and when is the best time to get your streaming fix.

Victoria ranks in first place when it comes to download speeds – the southern state has an average download speed of 53.0 Mbps.

New South Wales comes in a close second place (52.3 Mbps), followed by Queensland (51.4 Mbps).

Western Australia sits on the other end of the spectrum, with the lowest average speed of 43.4 Mbps. Kidman said as more Australians continue to work from home, a stable and reliable internet connection has never been more important.

“Faster speeds, more reliable service and less interruptions are what consumers want.”

The Finder Awards announced iPrimus as the Best Rated Broadband provider for 2022. Finalists included Tangerine and TPG.

Australians crowned iPrimus with the top spot thanks to top marks for customer service, speed, and reliability.

Tangerine scored well with Australians for speed, while people loved TPG for value for money, but iPrimus scored well across the board.

“Even though 78% of Aussies are with one of the really big providers (Optus, Telstra and Vodafone) – the winner and finalists were all smaller companies.

“It pays to compare, as bigger doesn’t always mean better.”

Aussies spend on average $76 per month on broadband.

“That’s a big outlay – so consumers understandably want to make sure they’re getting bang for their buck.

"Don't pay a loyalty tax – review your broadband plans at least once a year,” Kidman said.