nbn, the company overseeing the construction of Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN), has named the first areas set to receive what it refers to as its ‘cutting edge fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC)’ technology. Following a ‘major’ update to the company’s address checker function on its website, it has released details for around 700,000 premises which will benefit from the FTTC rollout. In short, nbn claims that its FTTC technology will deliver fibre all the way to the telecom pit, or footpath, outside a property, with the fibre then connecting with a small distribution point unit (DPU) that will utilise the existing copper line to deliver fast broadband to the premises over a relatively short distance. Using VDSL2 technology the company has said it will be able to deliver the same 100Mbps/40Mbps services provided over the connections its provides using fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology, while also providing simple options to upgrade when future demand arises.
In terms of the rollout itself, nbn confirmed Coburg North in Melbourne as the first location to be covered, with it aiming to carry out trials with retail service providers in the second half of 2017. Looking further ahead, the company has said it expects to launch commercial FTTC services in the first half of 2018, by which date it hopes to have 100,000 premises connectable.