More than 9 million homes are expected to be connected to the NBN network by 2018, as highlighted in a recent three year plan released by the nbn.
The forecasts are contained in the company’s recently published first comprehensive Corporate Plan.
The introduction of additional technologies, a projected boost to the size of the construction workforce and newly-signed agreements with the construction industry are anticipated to see the total number of premises that are able to connect double over each of the next three years to 9.1 million.
At the end of the period, 4.4 million families and business owners are expected to be active on the network, an eight-fold increase on today. These users are expected to deliver a ten-fold increase in revenue to $1.7 billion.
nbn CEO Bill Morrow has said, “this is a bold plan that puts us in striking distance of our ultimate goal of delivering better broadband to every Australian by 2020.
“The steps we have taken over the past 12 months have already delivered increases in revenue, activations and serviceable premises. The work to date has also given us a more accurate picture of the actual costs of the build.
“This enables us to set the course for the move to the exponential growth of the rollout.”
nbn’s revenue targets are underscored by growing data and usage patterns. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average amount of data downloaded per month continues to grow: from 5GB per month in FY08 to nearly 60GB today.
Globally, video traffic online is expected to triple by 20192, with applications extending beyond entertainment to education, e-health and video conferencing for business.
The nbn has also met its FY2015 targets, highlighting the following achievements in a recent results summary:
- The number of premises that can order an NBN service more than doubled from 553,000 premises to 1.2 million;
- The number of homes and businesses with an active NBN service more than doubled from 210,000 to 486,000;
- Telecommunications revenues more than doubled from $60 million to $161 million;
- Customer satisfaction increased from 6.4 out of 10 to 6.6 points out of 10;
- Employee engagement increased by 16 per cent.
Bridging Australia’s Digital Divide
Mr Morrow said the Corporate Plan estimates an increase in peak funding for the build. However the amount remains significantly lower than the total cost of an all-fibre optic network and the equity contribution of the Government remains capped.
“Upgrading the telecommunications infrastructure for an entire continent will always be an ambitious undertaking. But the risks are outweighed by the benefits,” Mr Morrow said.
“For instance, the rollout is expected to be complete in the Northern Territory and Tasmania during the period of this Corporate Plan. The NBN network will be a game changer for these economies and Australia as a whole, enabling greater participation in the global digital economy and helping close the digital divide.”
