NBN Co has revealed that it has significantly increased the number of premises being upgraded to full fibre since August, now upgrading approximately 5000 premises to fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology every week. This jump in upgrade rate is attributed to the availability of more footprints and retail service providers (RSPs) streamlining their processes to facilitate more upgrades.
This progress marks a notable improvement since the launch of the ‘Fibre Connect’ program, which aims to offer FTTP upgrades to customers in the fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) and fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) areas who place qualifying orders. Previously, NBN Co was moving around 3000 premises a week to FTTP.
Additionally, Stephen Rue, CEO of NBN Co, discussed enhancements to the company’s fixed wireless network. With the deployment of 5G technology, NBN Co aims to enable speeds of up to 325Mbps by the end of 2024, surpassing the 320Mbps wholesale speed limit. Rue also mentioned that they are exploring options for offering additional products with even higher maximum wholesale download speeds. Furthermore, NBN Co is working on plans to make its 5G-capable wireless network termination devices (NTDs) capable of delivering multi-gigabit speeds in the near future.
In response to a revised special access undertaking (SAU), which recently passed, Rue expressed NBN Co’s commitment to work more closely with retail partners and become a “brilliant partner” for the industry. The aim is to strengthen customer service, drive efficiencies, and further enhance the reliability and security of the NBN network.
With the substantial increase in FTTP upgrades and an eye on faster wireless speeds, NBN Co continues to evolve its network to meet growing demands and changing market dynamics.