BigAir currently has 8000 subscribers and plans to boost that number in the next financial year with expansions into Adelaide, Perth and Tasmania.

"Because we target the business end of town, it makes our deployment plans much simpler. We're not required to go everywhere to reach our customers," he said.

A recent Whirlpool Australian Broadband Survey, conducted between December 2005 and January this year received 16,590 responses, and reiterated wireless's growing popularity. Some 55.7 percent of respondents said a wireless broadband offering would be useful while 82 percent believed that ISPs should be less reliant on Telstra's network.

"Wireless broadband is attractive because it's independent from Telstra, but the key point is that people are prepared to pay a premium for wireless because they get mobility and speed," Ashcroft said.