We’re always finding out new information about the NBN rollout, how people are responding to it, and the many hiccups that are happening along the way, so we’ve compiled this handy page of facts and figures to help you get a quick picture of what the NBN is all about.
NBN Rollout
- When the NBN was planned way back in 2009, 90% of Australia was going to be connected by Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) with a D/L speed of 100mbps. That would have been great, and you can find out more about why that didn’t happen here at the Whirlpool knowledgebase
- With a change of government came a change of plan. There is now a total of 6 delivery modes for the NBN, which makes it a (serious) Multi-Technology Mix (MTM). they are FTTP, FTTN, FTTB, HFC, Fixed Wireless, and Satellite. More details about each of them here.
- The current plan is to have 8 million homes and businesses connected by 2020
- Hybrid Coaxial Fibre (HFC) has been the latest addition to the many NBN delivery modes. We’ve contacted NBN Co. and asked for some details about how it will all work, but they weren’t willing to provide any detailed information.
- The HFC rollout has so far been loaded with complications, setbacks, and complaints.
Getting connected to the NBN
- As of April 2017, 2 million Australian homes and businesses are connected to the NBN
- NBN Co. says that 28,000 people are signing up for the NBN each week
- NBN providers have no say in what type of NBN technology you have installed, or when it is installed – it’s all up to NBN Co. to roll out the technology in your area and then arrange a technician to install it in your premises when you’ve placed your order.
- You actually have no say about where inside your office your NBN connection box will be installed. As long as it’s safe and will give you the access you need, then the technician has to work with what you want
- NBN technicians actually get paid a fixed fee for all installations, no matter how long it takes them!
Who’s Ready for the NBN?
- In November 2016, com found that 2.4million Australians hadn’t even checked o see if they could get the NBN in their area – that’s 13% of the population
- 1 in 10 Australians who DO have access to the NBN haven’t had it installed yet
- 31% of people surveyed also didn’t care about the NBN, and weren’t too worried about getting faster internet
- Gen-Y is actually the most clueless when it comes to the NBN, and they’re also the most reluctant to get connected
- Tasmanians are ahead of the game on all fronts, probably because they were the first state to get connected
Service Class Zero
- Even if we are told that all Australian households and businesses will be connected to the NBN, there are areas that NBN Co still has no plan for. They’re called “service class zero”; if connecting is too complicated, NBN Co. isn’t ready to deal with it.
- Some of these 100,000 premises may not get an NBN service until 2020
Complaints…. Lots of them!
- In 2016, complaints to the Telecommunications Ombudsman about the NBN rose by 148%. NBN Co. isn’t too concerned because it’s rising at a slower rate than the rate of installations across Australia.
- The number one area for complaints about the NBN is Bundaberg in Queensland
- Most complaints about the NBN centre around installation, dropouts, and speed
- There are even complaints coming from providers, who argue that NBN Co’s “patchwork” network means that they cannot guarantee their customers speed or quality.
