NBN Co has released a corporate plan for 2014-2017 that introduces a new set of policies and objectives, and details the approach NBN Co intends to take in implementing a Multi-Technology Mix (MTM) NBN.
In the 2015 financial year, NBN Co intends to triple the number of brownfields premises activated on the NBN.
According to the plan, 750,000 brownfield premises will be passed, with 650,000 of those premises ready for service and connected via fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), and 165,000 greenfield premises passed in total.
The plan provides no estimation of rollout numbers for the following two financial years, claiming that various factors including continuing trials on fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) technology, negotiations with Telstra and Optus, and the need to update systems and processes to ensure the MTM rollout, have contributed to an air of uncertainty around the project.
“Given the above levels of uncertainty, the 2014-17 Corporate Plan, which covers the period 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2017, should be viewed as a transition plan for NBN Co,” the document states.
The plan details NBN Co’s next steps for the rollout, which include:
- Engaging with the Government and stakeholders in relation to potential policy decisions and regulatory changes;
- Implementing the MTM construction delivery model, including ongoing operational improvements to the FTTP construction delivery model;
- Implementing multi-technology network architecture, planning approach, and network design principles;
- Undertaking MTM IT capability and network operations improvements; and
- Engaging and consulting widely with stakeholders and regulatory authorities.
Minister for Communications, Malcolm Turnbull, said that the new corporate plan reflects the focus on the end users of the NBN infrastructure.
“We continue in the construction of the fibre-to-the-premises network, but on a more consistent and professional basis,” said Turnbull. “And at the same time, proceed to change the deployment strategy in line with the findings of the strategic review.”
“The biggest change [in strategy] has been the most obvious and in many ways the most basic. The Australian Government, as the sole shareholder, has enabled the company to do what any successful business must do: Focus relentlessly on the needs of the customer,” he said.