Queensland will be first to get NBN HFC cable, says Fifield

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news Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield has announced that residents in Queensland will be the first to experience the NBN’s “superfast” HFC cable broadband service when the network goes live in June.

Making the announcement with Fifield at Woody Point on 23 March was Member for Petrie, Luke Howarth MP, with the pair explaining that the service would first be launched for customers on the Redcliffe Peninsula.

The announcement follows a successful test of HFC (hybrid fibre-coaxial) in Redcliffe which achieved wholesale network speeds of up to 100Mbps download and 40Mbps upload, at an average speed of 84/33Mbps, according to a statement from the Minister.

The HFC service is expected to reach round 18,000 Redcliffe Peninsula residents by mid-2016.

“The use of HFC to deliver superfast broadband forms part of the Government’s multi-technology mix approach to building the network, which uses the most appropriate technology to deliver the NBN sooner and at less cost to taxpayers,” Fifield said.

The combination of technologies includes fibre to the node (FTTN), fibre to the premises (FTTP), hybrid fibre coaxial, fixed wireless and satellite.

Previously, HFC was rolled out across Australia to deliver pay TV services, however it is now being used globally as an efficient means for delivering fast Internet access.

“In Australia, the NBN is incorporating elements of the HFC network and upgrading electronics to deliver better broadband to millions of households,” said Fifeld.

The NBN is expanding across Queensland with more than 382,000 homes and businesses now able to order an NBN service, and over 152,000 homes and businesses already connected, according to official figures.

Nationally, the network is available to more than 1.8 million premises, with more than 860,000 now having an active NBN service.

The NBN is “on track” to meet the rollout schedule for this year, said the Minister, with the network expected to be completed on time in 2020.

Image credit: Office of Mitch Fifield

89 COMMENTS

  1. Hmm. I have “high speed” cable here (QLD) 100/2.5. I pay a “premium” for something that, whilst to date reliable, is really inconsistent in performance. Remember Redcliffe residents “Promises Promises”!

      • Lucky bugger!

        I’m still struggling to adapt to 12/1 Mbps ADSL2 8 months after moving out of a rental with 110/2.5 Mbps Telstra HFC. :-(

        • After 3 years in QLD and getting ‘used’ to 3Mbps at most at any given rental property, we specifically looked for a NBN connected property last time. Hopefully we never have to move.

  2. Can’t some other state get it first? I’m sort of NOT wanting the HFC solution my area is being promised.

    • I, along with ever other person getting FTTN, wireless or satelite, would be more than happy to swap.

      • As would everyone be willing to, even more so, swap any/all of that for FTTP…

        But alas…

    • That depends entirely on your local loops contention/congestion with HFC it could be that FttN would be better lol.

  3. How many houses are on each node? Is everything going to grind to a halt in the evening when everyone comes home from work and fires up netflix etc?

    • Doesn’t matter, as long as you get your speed for 1 second sometime in a 24 hour period, then you’re “fine” and there is nothing wrong with the network. Even if that happens to be 4am when nobody is using it.

    • 3-400 homes (upper limit) If you’re in an outlying area of the deployment possibly you might end up with less competitors.

    • This has to be publicised more. I have had NBN for two weeks and spent hours on the phone trying to have it fixed. When I had ADSL I had internet at night. Now nI have the NBN no internet at night. Anything from two to five or six hours of nothing. I live three or four minutes from the CBD of Newcastle the sixth biggest city in Australia. The problem to me is obvious as they used the copper telephone lines that I have been constantly told over the last 16 years are at least 30 years past their use by date. Corrosion has taken its toll and where I have had the occassional trouble three or four times a year with my phone or ADSL I now have the big fat zero internet every night. When people were home over the Easter break the times of unuseable internet were longer and into the days as well as the nights. Turdball needs punishing for his failure with Fraudband.

      • Well, sadly for you, according to NBN Co, Newcastle’s CBD doesn’t mean CBD when it comes to FTTP, so good luck getting them to care if you’re 3-4 minutes out of it.

      • Please write to your local paper, Jason Clare and your local member – highlighting the issues you are having.

      • At least QLD Health isn’t in charge, they’re really good with software upgrades etc ;)

    • let’s hope Operation Charlie Foxtrot (HFC & FTTN editions) cover enough premises by the election to show the mug punters how badly they’ve been screwed by TurnCoat!!!

  4. Claim a heap on new connection just prior to the election by changing the stickers on the side of a box.

  5. Many of us already got the so called “super fast” HFC.

    I’m downloading right now at 12Mbps on Telstra Cable.

    We should be moving to 1Gbps as standard on FTTP, and then in a couple of years upgrade to 10Gbps.

    Not this bullshit opposite direction nonsense.

    • Telstra or Optus cable as it is now is not the NBN HFC cable product post upgrades before it is released to RSP’s to resell, that is not including the DOCSIS 3.1 upgrade due later.

      • Since you love asking people who are Pro-FTTP about when future upgrades are required, I’ll ask you the same, when is that DOCSIS 3.1 upgrade coming and at what cost?

        • You are confusing me with the NBN Co Board and CEO who make infrastructure rollout timing decisions.

          Ask them.

          • Odd, so you who claims to know everything about the MTM is NOT on the nbn board, yet everyone who clearly presents facts and logic IS according to you an ALP member?

            That wouldn’t be hypocrisy you’re embarrassing yourself with, would it?

          • Rizz,

            Where did I accuse anyone of being a ALP member ? I don’t care who they are, ‘Liberal shill’ is standard accusation from the anti MtM cheer squad though and is used against anyone who dares to argue with them.

            But that’s ok, because double standards are standard practice.

          • The hypocrisy is delicious.

            You who continually asks everyone else to provide Labors NBN policy they will take to the election, and when told to ask Jason Clare on Twitter, you disappear only to reappear and accuse others of needing to produce information only the ALP can.

            Back under your bridge.

          • I must go into bat for alain here…

            Apart from a few inferences or guarded swipes, I can’t actually recall him outwardly accusing anyone of being a Labor shill, troll etc (I may be wrong but I can’t really recall it).

            But it makes sense, because those here who are supporting FttP, do it not for political reasons but because it is the “end goal” even according to Mal and Morrow.

            It is, when “everything (not just the up front roll out cost – but maintenance of obsolete equipment, the inevitable end goal overbuild of FTTP etc) is taken into account”, the best, cheapest, quickest and superior roll out with the best ROI etc.

            However, on the flip-side, why would anyone (particularly one who said FTTP can’t help but be a complete success) argue “against it, as alain does 24/7, if not for absolute political subservience?”

        • NBN Co have said repeatedly they plan to deploy DOCSIS 3.1 services from 2017 onwards. It is on their website:

          “nbn plans to launch DOCSIS 3.1 services in 2017.”

          Reading between the lines the holdup seems to be consumer chipsets.

          No mention of cost.

          • With no mention of cost, then it largely means nothing. If the NBN is being constructed as they claim, being technologically agnostic using the cheapest rollout methodology at the time, how can they claim that HFC is then the cheapest if they plan to upgrade it to DOCSIS 3.1 but have no information of the cost of said upgrade?

            It isn’t in the CP16, it wasn’t in the SR years ago, it wasn’t in their plan they took to the election of 25Mbit to all by the end of 2016 (using FTTN and FTTP with no HFC under the NBN umbrella).

          • Doesn’t matter, they got the HFC for the same price Labor were paying to have it shut down.

            Any incremental cost of a DOCSIS 3.1 upgrade is petty cash compared to the transfer of ownership of the HFC infrastructure asset.

          • @ alain

            “Doesn’t matter, they got the HFC for the same price Labor were paying to have it shut down.”

            Shh don’t mention multi-billion dollar maintenance, costly upgrades, and FTTP being the end goal (according to Mal and Morrow)… let’s just pretend they don’t exist… brilliant.

            Or the fact that the HFC networks are FAILED (your word) networks anyway.

            There fixed that for you.

            You’re welcome

          • Tinman,

            Well you can be sure it is a hell of lot cheaper than pulling it all down and overbuilding with FTTP.

            What was the latest CPP on brownfields FTTP, $4,400.

            ouch.

          • “Any incremental cost of a DOCSIS 3.1 upgrade is petty cash compared to the transfer of ownership of the HFC infrastructure asset.”

            So, HFC is $0 CPP? Good to know.

          • @ alain,

            So maintaining 2 x FAILED (your word) HFC networks and 5 mins to midnight copper, is wise eh?

            Why didn’t we just keep the iron wires alain and save, save, save”

            You’re welcome.

          • Ronin,

            I didn’t say the CPP of HFC is $0, I was referring to the transfer of ownership of the respective HFC infrastructures.

            But you know that.

          • “What was the latest CPP on brownfields FTTP, $4,400”

            No, $800-1900…wait, that is in the rest of the world. I wonder why it’s so different here?
            Is it incompetence or is it just lying?

          • @ alain.

            “I didn’t say the CPP of HFC is $0, I was referring to the transfer of ownership of the respective HFC infrastructures.”

            Yes we know you were dishonestly playing semantics and telling half the story, to disingenuously infer the costs were the same…

            WHICH WE ALL KNOW THAY AREN’T IN TOTALITY… did I just shout, hmm I wonder why?

            But we (well I, because these other guys are all me.. *shrugs*) know better and corrected you, as you and your cherry-picked comments inevitably need correcting.

            We demonstrated that the maintenance costs on top of the transfer, will be many $b’s, making this MTM shemozzle, inferior, retrograde, fucking mess, even more of a shemozzle, inferior, retrograde fucking mess… than it already is (if that’s actually possible)…

            Feel free to be completely honest (cough, splutter) in future and save us from having to correct your omissions, inconvenient truths, well lies… by not omitting relevant details…

            You’re welcome

          • DOCSIS is DOCSIS. It will still be same flawed technology even when you upgrade it.

            It’s vastly limited in Speed, Distance, Coverage.

            Upgrading of DOCSIS won’t change any of it, because it’s useless outside a few areas.

          • Well there are vast speed differences between DOCSIS, DOCSIS 3.0 and DOCSIS 3.1.

            You are correct, it is useless outside areas that don’t have HFC.
            :)

          • You are correct, it is useless outside areas that don’t have HFC.

            Not entirely true, it’s also used on some microwave links (not that the nbn™ will be using those :)).

          • Upgrading of DOCSIS won’t change any of it, because it’s useless outside a few areas.

            Well, it is a third of the entire NBN coverage, so it’s not exactly insignificant either…

          • I didn’t know that, I assume you mean the micro wave (dish to dish) link protocol?

          • Yes we all agree with you there alain, you don’t know (much, if anything at all)…

            But that’s ok don’t fret bro, we are all here for you, as Delimiter bros, bro…

            That’s why I (and others you delusionally think are me, but that’s ok, we understand bro) are all here selflessly, to supply FACTS to attempt to help you get over this cyclopic affliction and possibly even help you regain the long lost sight in that “other eye”…

            No need to thank us (whoops me) bro, it’s our (whoops my) pleasure, entirely.

            You’re welcome.

          • I didn’t know that, I assume you mean the micro wave (dish to dish) link protocol?

            Yep, primarily in the US and Ireland according to the wiki

  6. So we are going from 100/2 to 84/33, assuming you are the only person watching Netflix at the time.

    wow wee

    That’s supposed to be “superfast”.

    I wonder if “fast” is 9600 baud.

  7. Just got optus cable connected today at woody point so i will see how it goes. I’m going from 100/40 fttp to hfc cable . Be intrested to see if i have docsis 3 upgrade or not.

      • Most Optus and Telstra HFC in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane has already been upgraded to DOCSIS 3.0 prior to the NBN takeover so that would be a reasonable assumption.

        • Bzzzz wrong!

          I barely get 15mbps on a good day – and I have docsis 2 and I’m 6km from Brisbane.

          In Brisbane, docsis 3 is not available in that many areas and it is unreliable – I had it at a previous address and went through 3 modems before they got one which worked.

          HFC isn’t upto the task – the fact my net is unusable at night pretty much sums this up.

          Optus won’t do anything either.

          • YMMV I guess, the Gold Coast has been DOCSIS 3.0 for at least three years.

            Did you ask to be cut over? The Telstra version is called “SpeedBoost”, once you get the modem, they need to switch you over, it’s not (or at least wasn’t) automatic.

      • Oh so it’s already been done (on the FAILED HFC networks) alain…

        So we can discount any of that from NBN™ figures…

        Got it.

        You’re welcome

  8. It’s all fun and games until some moron attempts a burnout, swerves off the road and crashes into one of these boxes.

    Then all the residents in the area have no landlines/internet for god knows how long until it’s repaired.

    Not to mention an absolute eyesore out the front of peoples properties, which I’m sure property owners won’t be happy about (when it drops their house value).

    And what’s to stop people tampering with those cabinets and taking out the internet in the area?

    Of course if it was all underground, none of this would be an issue!

    • Its no different than if a pillar is hit now. ADSL and phones all go out.

      I’d be less worried about tampering and more worried about battery theft (they are after plastering pictures of the locks and mech’s all over the web).

      Also shouldn’t take more than a day for a replacement and spare to be in and installed as well.

      • “Also shouldn’t take more than a day for a replacement and spare to be in and installed as well.”
        Made me laugh. ‘Shouldn’t’ is a great word.

      • As far as I know, a lot of the newest FTTP tech they tested along with the skinny fibre all now fits inside the pits. So, there is nothing sticking out of the ground for FTTP anymore. Only the areas currently constructed with the older tech will have them.

        • link on this ‘newest tech’ FTTP rollouts that do not need to be in above ground FDH cabinets anymore?

          • As I said, as far as I know, I am happy to be proven wrong. I honestly do not remember where I read it.

            But I think it was in an article regarding the skinny fibre and fttdp methods.

          • Well I can understand that with FTTdp but I don’t think they have done away with FDH cabinets for FTTP.

          • I am probably wrong, I am thinking I mixed up my thoughts about the size of the FTTdp nodes, as we saw a picture of one that would easily fit in a pit.

          • “I am probably wrong, I am thinking I mixed up my thoughts about the size of the FTTdp nodes, as we saw a picture of one that would easily fit in a pit”

            No, you are correct…they just haven’t begun implementing them yet.
            They are compatible with both FTTP and FTTdp, and they are well liked by nbn because they use a new universal connector (making them plug and play).

            http://tinyurl.com/hhk36dy

          • Yep, that was partly why I jumped on the Fttdp bandwagon, it’ll actually make FttP FoD realistic rather than the Malcolm fantasy it is currently.

          • “Yep, that was partly why I jumped on the Fttdp bandwagon, it’ll actually make FttP FoD realistic”

            I have to agree…no matter what we do, it is going to be expensive and time consuming (as in possibly decades) to clean up Malcolm’s mess. At least with FTTdp, we will be able to do it a bit more efficiently.

        • “a lot of the newest FTTP tech they tested along with the skinny fibre all now fits inside the pits”

          Exactly correct…the guy from Corning was explaining it to the Senate Committee about a week or so ago. It is a split system so that hubs are no longer required.

      • They are made of Kryptonite alain…

        Which is why I oppose and can’t go near them…

        ;)

  9. I find this kind of laughable. Why doesn’t Fifield play up the fact that HFC has been here for years. They simply bought it and transferred the infrastructure to the NBN. He should be pushing the background upgrades and changes they have made (I hope) to undo the years of bad reputation “cable” / HFC has for congestion and fluctuating performance.

    I currently have 113/2.5 at best performance. I will look forward to the upload increase as I think that has been a very poorly covered aspect of the NBN across the board.

    Any word on when other existing HFC regions in Brisbane will transfer from Telstra/Optus to NBN?

    • “They simply bought it and transferred the infrastructure to the NBN”
      $5-15 billion blow out in costs with the majority due to new systems needed to handle all the ‘simply’ bought infrastructure and its unknowns.

      Interesting point is there going to be an upload speed boost on NBN HFC initially? (wasn’t that only when the new docis thingo gets rolled out?).

    • “He should be pushing the background upgrades and changes they have made (I hope) to undo the years of bad reputation “cable” / HFC has for congestion and fluctuating performance.”

      What changes? Just a name change I fear…

Comments are closed.