nbn co launches first FTTC services

nbn co has launched the first of its new fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) services for households and businesses.

The company has provided a limited release of services to around 1000 premises in Coburg in Melbourne and Miranda in South Sydney, allowing retail service providers to on-sell FTTC services for these premises.

This limited release will serve as a model for the launch of the FTTC network to a wider footprint in the second half of the year.

“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,” nbn co chief customer officer for residential Brad Whitcomb said.

“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 to the network using nbn services over the FTTC network before we make services available to a larger footprint.”

FTTC involves rolling out fibre to the curb or footpath and using the existing copper network to connect the home.

The technology promises to deliver wholesale access speeds of up to 100 Mbps upload and 40 Mbps download. It also has the potential to offer even higher speeds with the implementation of new copper acceleration technology G.fast, which nbn co plans to launch in selected areas by the end of the year.

But FTTC technology will only be deployed to around 1 million premises in areas that do not already have the nbn. The government has also repeatedly rejected calls to replace planned fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) deployments with the new technology.

NetComm Wireless is providing the network access devices for the FTTC rollout, supplying world-first reverse powered Distribution Point Unit (DPU) and Network Connection Device (NCD) technology developed at the company’s Sydney and Melbourne centres of excellence.

The DPU has been designed to allow nbn co to bypass civil works on private property as required in fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) deployments, while the self-installed NCD combines a G.fast and VDSL modem as well as a reverse power feed to the DPU.

“We are honoured to be nbn’s supplier on this important world-first project. It is the product of Australian innovation and ingenuity and the benefits to Australian households and businesses will be profound,” NetComm Wireless CEO Ken Sheridan said.

“Having met nbn’s exacting technical and quality standards, our solution is receiving significant interest from leading telcos in global markets and leading to export sales.”

Image courtesy nbn co.

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