nbn has announced that it will implement new Hybrid Coaxial-Fibre (HFC) initiatives in a bid to improve end user experience when connecting to the NBN.
nbn said the new initiatives are aimed at at raising the standard of service quality and that the move was part of a broader program to improve customer experience and retailer satisfaction.
The changes to the HFC (also known as Pay TV network) rollout – which is currently adding an average of nearly 80,000 new premises each month – are designed to provide a better experience when getting connected and when using the service.
The changes will also help to further improve the reliability of the network.
The company’s current corporate plan calls for nearly three million premises to ultimately be served by HFC access technology.
Nearly one million premises are ready to connect with 370,000 already connected.
The new initiatives will be first applied to the network where there are existing end users.
Once these areas meet the required standard, the company will then focus on those areas next scheduled in the rollout queue.
To help ensure the best possible experience for its customers (the internet service providers) and their end users, nbn will temporarily pause all new orders over its HFC access network. This pause will be in effect until incremental field work is undertaken to raise the quality of service for end users.
There will be a delay of the current rollout timing of new HFC areas while the company undertakes this work in both the existing footprint and areas not previously declared ready for service.
The company confirmed it remains on target to connect eight million active end users to the NBN network by 2020.
nbn will be performing advanced network testing and remediation where needed, wholesale connector replacements, signal amplification calibration, and lead-in work as required.
nbn management said that while it was pleased that many end users served over its HFC network were satisfied, too many were not having the experience they deserve when getting connected and some were not experiencing the full potential of the network.
The company said HFC technology can provide best-in-class speeds and data carriage, and that the extra time and effort taken would help ensure people could enjoy the well known and well regarded fast broadband that HFC technology is delivering globally.
nbn Chief Executive, Bill Morrow, said the initiatives will be implemented immediately, so
customers and their end users can improve the quality of service for end users on the HFC network.
“With the incremental work now required before a home is declared ready to connect, we are focused on providing a better service to our customers (the internet service providers) and thereby improving the experience for the end user,” Mr Morrow said.
“While the good news is that we are working on a better experience for the internet providers and end users, the improvement efforts will take additional time and therefore a delay of schedule will occur for most of the remaining HFC premises that have yet to switch to services on the NBN access network.
“The HFC access technology is used around the world to deliver reliable high speed broadband services. This technology is an important part of NBN Co’s technology mix.
“The rollout of the NBN access network is one of the most complex and ambitious initiatives in any telecommunications market across the world – we are focused on ensuring the network is ready to deliver services which meet the expectations of Australians.”
