NBN Co’s multi-technology approach to rolling out the National Broadband Network may be causing some issues as far as the quality of service is concerned but the strategy is helping the company get the network to homes faster than ever.
The technology compromise has seen NBN Co ditch the full-fibre model in favour of using pay-TV cables and fibre-to-the-node (FTTN), a move that NBN Co’s critics warn will deliver a patchwork network and undermine NBN Co’s business model.
However, the use of FTTN technology, which relies on copper for the final stretch, is driving the NBN rollout and accounts for a bulk of the 5.3 million premises currently ready to receive a service.
According to NBN Co, more than two million FTTN premises are now ready to receive the service and that number is only set to rise.
The FTTN portion of the NBN was launched in September 2015. Since then NBN Co has on average made 101,188 premises ready for service every month.
With 813,875 homes signing up to the NBN using FTTN technology, the pace of connections has steadily accelerated.
“It is no secret that the FTTN portion of the NBN network build is allowing us to scale our work with unprecedented pace,” NBN Co’s chief network engineering officer, Peter Ryan, said.
“For a technology to have reached two million homes just 20 months after being launched is testament to the rigorous and relentless work by the team at NBN and our delivery partners.”
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