Nearly half of punters do not use 3G services despite paying for them, according to a new report.

The report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority has said punters owned a 3G phone but did not use the mobile Internet, video calling and music streaming  and had no interest in them.

Others cited high costs and lack of knowledge on how to access the services. However, while 90 per cent of households have both a fixed-line phone and a mobile phone, almost half preferred to use mobiles as their main calling method.

3G phones were most common among respondents aged between 18 and 24 (43 percent are on 3G), whereas the take up rate among those over 61 was just 12 percent.