The first live services for nbn fibre-to-the-node end users have been launched.  The company behind the National Broadband Network rollout, nbn, claims most ADSL users can make network switchovers without the need for an onsite appointment.
The services go live following end user trials in Bermont, NSW, which covered 43 homes with Telstra retail customers. Each FTTN cabinet serves around 384 premises. As per nbn, the trial delivered wholesale speeds of 100Mbps download and 40Mbps upload to most end users.
Initially, the nbn FTTN services will only be made available to less than 2,500 customers in Belmont. From there, residents can expect the rate of releases to go up to 60,000 per month in January.
In nbn’s corporate plan released last month, 500,000 properties have been forecasted to reach the FTTN-ready service status by financial year 2016.
Overall, the expected number of customers nationally is at 4.5 million, meaning 38% of Australian homes and businesses will progressively get on FTTN and FTTB (fibre-to-the-basement) services.
John Simon, nbn chief customer officer, said most Belmont-based FTTN customers would have access to speeds of 20Mbps download and 5Mbps upload.
According to Mr. Simon, the 100Mbps/40Mbps speeds from the FTTN trial were typical within the range of 400 metres from the cabinet, with the numbers declining to 60Mbps/20Mbps at 700 metres.
He also said that customers switching to FTTN from ADSL will not need professional onsite installation in most cases as the standard business model states there is no need for an appointment with the end user in the home. This means it will only be a matter of the customer and the retail service provider swapping the modem.
Tony Cross, nbn principal architect, said the way the FTTN network architecture is designed allows for an upgrade to FTTP in the future. He said everyone agrees that fibre is the best solution, but the multi-technology mix is able to deliver in a reasonable manner, following the budget and taking functionality, time, and cost into consideration.
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