Speedy Gigabit service delivered by nbn trial

Fast Gigabit speeds will soon be available for eligible homes around Australia.

nbn has run trials of DOCSIS 3.1 technology on its hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) network, which was previously Telstra's pay TV cable.

In lab trials of this technology conducted in Melbourne, nbn achieved downstream speeds of 1 Gbps — on par with the top speed available for retailers on the nbn fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network. The trial delivered upstream speeds of 100 Mbps — more than double the current highest 40 Mbps upload retail speed available on HFC retail services over the nbn network.

nbn will be one of the first operators outside of the US to commercially launch DOCSIS 3.1 technology as an upgrade path for the HFC network and able to deliver Gigabit+ downstream wholesale speeds.

"DOCSIS 3.1 is going to be able to provide fantastic gigabit potential for end users — just as our fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network does today,” said Bill Morrow, CEO at nbn.

"The best news is that we will be able to bring Gigabit broadband to these premises far more quickly, cost effectively and with less disruption to end users than alternate technologies in these busy urban areas."

nbn is planning further lab testing of DOCSIS 3.1 in August, then in-field trials in December, ahead of a potential commercial launch of the technology in 2018.

nbn is building a new and upgraded, fast wholesale broadband network to enable communities across Australia to access fast broadband from their retail service provider. The company's goal is to have universal access for all Australians and eight million homes and businesses activated on the nbn network by 2020.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Stringer Image

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