NBN launches FTTC broadband access in Australian market

First Australian homes and businesses can now connect to a broadband plan over nbn™ FTTC technology

The first homes and businesses in Australia to receive the nbn™ Fibre-to-the-Curb (FTTC) access technology can now order services from a choice of internet providers.

FTTC delivers fast broadband by connecting fibre to a telecom pit near a driveway outside a home or business.

As one of the first network operators in the world to implement the technology at scale, NBN Co has provided a limited release of services to more than 1,000 homes and businesses in Coburg, North Melbourne in Victoria and Miranda, South Sydney in New South Wales.

This will help the company work with internet providers to optimise the customer experience of people who will receive nbn™ services over the FTTC network before releasing a larger footprint in the second half of 2018.

The technology is being designed to deliver access to wholesale speeds of up to 100/40Mbps and has the potential to offer higher speeds through a new copper acceleration technology, G.fast, which NBN Co plans to launch in selected areas by the end of the year.

Brad Whitcomb, NBN Co’s Chief Customer Officer – Residential said, “Today’s announcement demonstrates that NBN Co is an adopter of new and innovative technologies to provide Australians with access to fast broadband.

“Over the past few months, we have been working closely with service providers to test our systems and processes, the performance of the nbn™ FTTC access technology, as well as the new self-installation experience.

“As with the introduction of any new technology, we will continue to gain insights as we navigate the complexity of the build as well as potential issues which can arise when people connect to the network. We are committed to working with internet providers to optimise the customer experience of people who connect the network using nbn™ services over the FTTC network before we make services available to a larger footprint.

“Our decision to undertake a limited volume release means that a small number of homes and businesses will now have a new date for when they are able to connect to a service over the nbn™ access network – we will continue to update our website to provide people with the latest information.”