NBN reaches 1 million customer milestone

77

news The Federal Government has announced that the National Broadband Network (NBN) has now passed the 1 million customer mark, with 1,003,474 subscribing customers as of 19 May.

According to a statement from Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield, the figure “smashes” the NBN’s connection targets for 2016, arriving two months ahead of schedule.

The Minister credited the hard work of NBN Co’s management, 5,000 employees and thousands of construction contractors for the achievement, adding: “The NBN has consistently met its operational milestones over the past eight quarters and has already exceeded its corporate plan revenue goal.”

In less than a year, the NBN has more than doubled its reach from 1.16 million premises in July 2015 to more than 2.5 million today, according to his statement.

“The Coalition’s management of the NBN will see the network completed six to eight years sooner than under Labor’s plan and at around $30 billion less cost,” said Fifield.

“Under the former Labor Government, the NBN rollout was so badly managed that by mid-2013, the rollout had fallen 85% short of the planned target and NBN contractors had downed tools in four states,” he said.

“Under Labor, $6.5 billion was spent over four years to connect just 51,000 NBN users,” Fifield added.

Despite the new figures, though, the Government has recently conceded there are issues with how the NBN Co will fund the remainder of its rollout and operations through to 2020, with public sector funding drying up and uncertainty over the company’s ability to raise private financing.

The new customer figures come just days after controversial police raids on Labor Party staff members in search of leaked internal documents.

The Australian Federal Police raids have been criticised as an “attack on press freedom” by Australia’s peak media union, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.

One or more Labor staffers now face the possibility of two years in jail for receiving leaked NBN documents and breaching subsection 70(1) of the Crimes Act 1914.

Image credit: NBN company

77 COMMENTS

  1. Or in the real world.

    “Even though we stopped ramping up the FTTH rollout, enough of the existing work from the previous NBN management was still underway so we reach our much reduced final performance target, but came no where near our initial one of all Australians having 25Mb by 2016. Unfortunately were have blown through most of the budget swapping to our MTM plan and only so far got boxes in place to serve 100-200 thousand people, god knows how we are going to get them all connected or even pay for switching the copper over to the node. Then there’s the problem of fixing all the copper that doesn’t perform once it is connected. Well we can only hope it all works out in the end, because it’s not like we have any control or know really what’s going on since we handballed all the actual work over to Testra, well at least those bits they found of benefit to them”

    • Even though we stopped ramping up the FTTH rollout, enough of the existing work from the previous NBN management was still underway so we reach our much reduced final performance target, but came no where near our initial one of all Australians having 25Mb by 2016.

      100% correct.

      It’s always amazing to see a politician ply their craft and spin the worst of coal into a glittering diamond (otherwise known as polishing a turd).

  2. What’s the percentage breakdown of the service types that the customers are on? (FFTH, FTTN, Satellite, etc.)

    That would tell the story of whether it’s an ALP or LNP achievement.

    • They left the breakdown out of the media release. That gives a pretty good hint as to what it is.

      • Had Turnbull not stalled the FTTP ramp up there’d likely be more than 3 million premises passed by FTTP now – but of course the libs would never acknowledge that!

    • The ACCC National Broadband Network (NBN) wholesale market indicators report shows the number of customers on each tech (actuals @31-mar-16):

      FTTH 761,557
      FTTB 7,649
      FTTN 36,190
      LTE 100,958
      SAT 34,881

      FTTN growing rapidly, FTTH rollout winding down.

          • *sighs* Dick, quit trying to rewrite history! The rollout started in 2012 and NBN Co had spent less than 7 Billion before the Liberal goon squad arrived!

            Im sure you like to forget this, but TurnCoat’s financial audit of NBn Co found no issues and no waste.

          • Interesting, DO claims the rollout began after NBNCO’s FTTH’s Sep 2011 product launch?

            True before Rudd/Gillard/Rudd was ejected by voters ( after two incompetent terms ) NBNCo had only whittled away their first $7b, but then they’d only passed activated 31,075 (b) + 18,157 (g) = 49,232 FTTH connections.

            They don’t understand audits:-( (no waste?)

          • Dick, up till April 2012, all FTTP builds where part of trials.

            Thanks for playing!

          • Because the Liberals dropped the FTTP rollout to around 30%. Liberals just don’t want to admit that it would have been a lot higher by now. More billions are being sunk into MTM because most people can’t get the high speeds so they won’t pay for it.

          • “after 7 years”

            Still can’t do math…
            Commercial rollout started in reality at the early part of 2012 (first POI in March 2012, Telstra agreement finally signed in 2012). So more like 1.5 years, not 7…

          • “NBNCo had only whittled away their first $7b”

            Yes…building the framework that the entire NBN is being built on. Little things like FANs, POIs, Satellite design…you know, the cheap stuff.

          • “also FTTH 761,557 after 7 years and tens of billion sunk.”
            How many was it back in 2013 with only $6b ‘sunk’? Quite an impressive sinkhole the Liberals have created.

          • VS (according to Richard) <50,000 FTTP in 1.5 years. Either way the Libtrolls want to spin it, it doesn't look good, does it?

          • Either way the Libtrolls want to spin it, it doesn’t look good, does it?

            I’m sure Richard has a chart for it based on data from a report that was paid to produce a given outcome!

      • Richard,

        FTTN growing rapidly, FTTH rollout winding down.

        and you have no problem with this being completely ass about?

        #LibFail

      • What part of those numbers doesn’t say “almost all FTTH”? The overwhelming majority are FTTH connections.

      • “FTTH 761,557
        FTTB 7,649
        FTTN 36,190
        LTE 100,958
        SAT 34,881”

        So Labor & Quigley had ~30 months of roll out (~12-15 of those being after LPA and MTM took over and contractors were drawing down not up)

        897,396 connected customers!

        LPA & Morrow have had around the same time frame (tech slightly more).

        43,839 connected customers :(

        I’m sorry but that last figure would have me ROFLMAO if it weren’t for the fact they have since taking over spent ~75% of Taxpayers contributions in the process (allowing for the fact they’re scheduled to get the last $8.8b).

        “FTTN growing rapidly, FTTH rollout winding down.”

        Bugger me Dick but rapid is not exactly the word for it. The damn satellite connections are just a fraction under and they had to launch that bugger into space FFS!

        Also You’re a self professed finance guru no? when a contract is cancelled I have as yet to see it result in anything other than ‘winding down’ (unless it was your intent to state the obvious).

        • “~30 months of roll out… 897,396 connected customers”

          Quigley achieved 49,232 activations in 53 months. Then rightly fired.

          “The damn satellite connections are just a fraction under and they had to launch that bugger into space FFS!”

          The interim satellite had to wait for a launch? This is classic.

          The more they post, the more of their “knowledge” exposed. Squeal piggies…

          • “Quigley achieved 49,232 activations in 53 months”

            And the FANs, testing, Satellite, POIs, etc…
            You see, it is called a ramp for a reason.
            A ramp starts small and increases…I realise that words like ramp, and start-up, and design, and testing are big words…please ask someone for a dictionary.

          • I’m not sure he understands how these networks are built Chas…we always expect more from him, but as always, disappointed in him :-(

        • It is still pathetic and inadequate Richard, and the point Jason was making.

          What an embarrassment Turnbull and the LNP have become. Thanks for stalling progress, and wasting billions you moron.

          Thank you Labor for 1 million customers. Anyone believing Turnbull’s MTM FTN roll out is money well spent is very delusional or simply trolling.

        • Considering the fact that FTTN is being rolled after Labor had done most of the groundwork, I would’ve expected FTTN to have more people connected than 36,000 after 3 years. 760,000 FTTP customers is still 724,000 better than 36,000 FTTN customers. The Liberals don’t really have an excuse.

  3. “Under the current Liberal Government, the NBN rollout is so badly managed that by mid-2016, the rollout had fallen 85% short of the planned target and NBN contractors had downed tools in four states, for our plan that will be sooner, faster, and cheaper. In 2023. Maybe.” he said.

    FTFY

  4. Relative new management performance is impressive, though underwhelming given the spend and international comparisons.

    Updated Brownfields performance under new management shows impressive improvement:
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/6fwadkqyvrz9kkb/brownfields-actuals.pdf?dl=0

    Performance is closing in on new management forecasts ( note Conroy/Quigley’s delusion ):
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/2cpmjufh576l5ch/brownfields-actuals-v-forecast.pdf?dl=0

    Could it be the first time NBNCO actuals come close to their forecasts? Quigley paid management bonuses every year for missing every core target by miles, what hit are taxpayers to expect if they actually meet some?:-(

    Whilst Fifield notes revenue ahead of year’s forecasted (not noted, as is expenditure); $300m target for $20b “investment” is a remarkably poor showing. We’ve explored cost blowouts but what about revenue?

    NBNCo revenue is (largely) a function of take-up rates, customer speed-tiers (AVC) and provisioned RSP backhaul (CVC). Given the latest IRR forecast CP16p70 of 2.7% – 3.5% to FY40 a failure to meet predicted speed-tiers is a considerable risk (see CP16p77). ACCC’s Wholesale Report offers a valuable insight (first ever) into actual customer preference and NBNCo performance. It reveal actual FTTN underperforming FY16 forecasts by -14.56%, FTTH by -16.78%. For FTTH the trend is growing negative!

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/he6dtqmfci8fg1a/speed-actuals-v-forecast.pdf?dl=0

    These are big numbers, not a good sign when as little as 2.7% IRR to play with!

    Obviously AVC revenue is underperforming forecasts as it is directly tied to customer speed-tiers. Impact on CVC is more difficult to determine as RSP contention ratio the determining factor, though certainly lower demanded speeds will impact RSP backhaul provisioning.

    NBNCo would do well to force RSPs to publish their contention ratios to encourage product differentiation. Perhaps there are customers demanding more than the RSP’s current 1.05mbps provisioned backhaul per customer. Comically NBNCo is reducing CVC prices.

    Higher speeds are not demanded by customers (average continues to fail), low sustained provisioned capacity has plenty of room to meet their data demand (and grow NBNCo’s paltry revenue). Then all called out for years by at least one of us.

    Squealer “analysis” begins…

    • Strange you praise the increase roll-out speed that is almost 100% setup by the previous administration.

      The current administration have done nothing to increase the FttP roll-out in fact they have hindered it significantly by not allowing new faster to deploy and cheaper technologies to be used.

      • Right, just waiting a year and a half after the elections;-)

        No changes in fibre rollout after the appointment on new management? This stuffs gold.

        • I am sure you can provide factual evidence of the changes to the FttH roll-out made that were not started under the previous management and have been used in the roll-out.

        • And once again Mr, I have said/done this and I have said/done that, better known as “Ego Dick”, is here once again, baselessly beating his chest … after telling us just a few weeks back, he no longer bothers to comment here.

          But of course, now he smells an election in the air and must do his duty…ROFL.

          So Dick you again applaud and desperately try to prop up the poor, dying MTM carcass you claimed as faster/cheaper [sic]

          Support of a retrograde, obsolete (ask a real Libertarian) debacle roll out of obsolescence (again ask a real Libertarian), because you completely and gullibly fell for the conservative spiel and stupidly backed retrograde/obsolescence… “(as if you’d been commissioned to write it)” and must defend it and it’s perpetual failures… PRICELESS

          Oh dear, woe is Dick, how foolish…err, exactly as we told Dick.

          Yes Dick, you continue to applaud a complete failure which was categorically promised to be “delivered by 2016 to ALL Aussies” and was “fully costed at $29.5B”… but… bzzzt… to try to prop up the battered H U G E ego…

          But look, when Dick opens that one eye (no pun intended) to see and puts the blessed mirror and that EGO aside, he can see (although he doesn’t have the balls to admit) his imbecilic backward plan, won’t be rolled out until “4 years after schedule” (at least) 2020 to all Aussies and will cost as much as $70B (depending upon the “adult’s’ estimations)

          Dick, if you applaud such fuckupedness™ (like that? I trademarked it, along with Nodafail™ as they both, along with your masters FRAUDBAND moniker, describe YOUR fuckedup MTM plan perfectly)… I pity you.

          You’re welcome Dick and YOU’RE WELCOME Dick’s HUGE ego..

          • to try to prop up the battered H U G E ego

            Indeed Rizz. That’s all he has left really. Coalition clown MTM patchwork plan he endorsed in complete disarray and with the election a few weeks away you can smell the fear from the CFKD team.

          • His biggest problem is he eats his own dog food and actually believes the SR was a factual report, not paid for marketing.

            I’ve never seen his gung ho analysis on the data from that, just his blind faith in it.

    • Sorry Dick, the main forecast that matters is the one where the Liberals declared that everyone would have FttN by 2016. Oh, that changed. So lets go to the backup plan of 2019. Oh, that changed as well.

      You squeal about Labor failing to meet their targets without throwing the same criticism at the Liberals, who are 80% short of their forecasts.

      Or isnt that convenient Dick?

        • Because they were full of shit with their promises. You rip into Labor over and over about their forecasts being out, without giving any respect to the facts that led to delays, but graciously ignore that the Liberals made vast promises and didnt deliver on a single one.

          You’re a hypocrite. Theres nothing more to it, you hide behind a single stat, but in the end are full of as much shit as the Liberals were when they started this whole MTM bullshit.

          If you disagree, explain to us why the Liberal promises of Sooner (by 2016), Faster (25 Mbps for everyone by 2016), and Cheaper ($29.4b) are OK to have been totally wrong, while the Labor estimates, based on starting EVERYTHING from scratch, deserve to be blasted the way you do.

          You’re whats wrong with this whole process. You back an ignorant party who chose to tear apart a generations spanning infrastructure project, on the back of political points, and getting their buddies the best company return they could. And then feel convinced that their mistakes are justified, when in the end they will be worse than any delays Labor had.

          • Another eloquent contribution to the “debate”.

            Where have I claimed any version of NBN policy is on target (rollout or cost) or LNP buying into this folly is justified? Fighting strawmen!

          • Not going to go around in circles with you, I dont particularly care. I have my FttP.

            But in case you missed it, your a hypocrite.

            Where are your attacks on the Liberals? I dont recall any that attack their Sooner (by 2016), Faster (25 Mbps for everyone by 2016), and Cheaper ($29.4b) claims, but you constantly drag up plans from nearly a decade ago for some bizarre reason.

            Just once, attack the Liberals in the same way for being 80% short of forecasts. Which they are.

          • Running circles around you is not the same as going around.

            “… your a hypocrite”

            Clearly;-)

            Wether you recall doesn’t change the fact I called out LNP’s policy ambitious timetable and predicted costs blowouts.

          • Running circles around you

            Is that because your ideology has one leg tied to the ground and it’s the only way you can run?

          • Oh my god, you’ve questioned them ONCE!!! AMAZING!!! Lets give you a round of applause!!!

            /clap

            I’m amused you think you’re running circles around me, I’m just not bothering to play the games this time. It doesnt matter whats put in front of you, you continually ignore why people dont like you or the biased nature of your comments.

            Like alain, you’re stuck in the past, with no respect given for the (correct) opinion that this is about our future communications needs, not the needs of today or last year.

            As I said last week, I’m not going to bother playing your trolling games, I’ll call it as I see it. You’re an idiot stuck on one bit of information (29% or whatever stat it is) without respecting others opinions.

            As this has led to the point I really dont give a shit about you or your opinion of me, I’m less civil, and less likely to try and argue with you.

            My experience is with finances, I see the Liberal policy as fundamentally flawed for a range of reasons, but my 26 years experience in the field means nothing to you. For the record, I’ve audited some of the biggest companies in the world, I’m not holding an opinion based on a degree at Mcdonalds.

            My immediate family lectures and researches within the Comm’s field around the world, and has a far greater understanding of the technical capabilities of FttN, FttDP, and FttP than you or I, and is appalled at the short sightedness of the MTM rollout.

            On TWO counts in my immediate family, MTM is a bad idea. Financially and technologically. But you have your little 29% stat that you love so much, and thats all that matters to you.

            Hand pick all the stats you want. MTM based on FttN is a bad idea, and will remain a bad idea. The sooner someone moves to even a FttDP plan the better, for all our sakes.

            Dont bother replying, I couldnt give a flying fuck.

          • “I’m just not bothering to play the games this time.”

            Yet still playing.

            “Like alain, you’re stuck in the past, with no respect given for the (correct) opinion that this is about our future communications needs, not the needs of today or last year.”

            How could anyone disagree (correct) ;-) Like Alain?

            “As I said last week, I’m not going to bother playing your trolling games…”

            And I took you at your word, yet here you are stalking my posts with bile.

            “As this has led to the point I really dont give a shit about you or your opinion of me, I’m less civil…”

            I know little of you except, like many here, foul-mouthed and abusive / stalking posts.

            “My experience is with finances, I see the Liberal policy as fundamentally flawed for a range of reasons, but my 26 years experience in the field means nothing to you.”

            Then list and argue your reasons. Post analysis and links. Perhaps you can address my analysis above exposing speeds underperforming forecasts and falling. What is the likely affect on revenue?

            “My immediate family lectures and researches within the Comm’s field around the world, and has a far greater understanding of the technical capabilities of FttN, FttDP, and FttP than you or I…”

            Right;-)

            “On TWO counts in my immediate family, MTM is a bad idea. Financially and technologically. But you have your little 29% stat that you love so much, and thats all that matters to you.”

            Compared with the argument you’re offering, a single stat would win. It isn’t sufficient to claim “Financially and technologically” bad.

            “MTM based on FttN is a bad idea, and will remain a bad idea.”

            Pack up everybody. The debate is over;-)

            “The sooner someone moves to even a FttDP plan the better, for all our sakes.”

            That would be MTM then. Posted several months ago, they’re left arguing the FTTN.

            “Dont bother replying, I couldnt give a flying fuck.”

            Time to kill, enjoyed it. Maybe time for you to reflect.

          • “And I took you at your word, yet here you are stalking my posts with bile.”

            This just in, accusing someone accurately of being a troll, is “bile”.

          • @ Richard… I call complete BS on you and your comments…’

            Whilst you play the L(l)ibertarian card to suggest you have “equally” admonished both plans…

            You daily call out MQ & Co (baselessly) but have NEVER specifically, mentioned, let alone admonished the $29.5B to as much as $70B and the 4 year blow out, MTM debacle..

            Well why would you admonish and deride the vey plan you could have been commissioned to write.

            If so do it now… tell us the MTM blow out is a complete debacle beyond comparison and that the governmnet have mismanaged this roll out. like no other… go on

            You’re welcome

          • Maybe this should be handled in a LNP party sort of way. This site needs to provide an efficiency dividend, say in the amount of your subscription. Nothing to do with allowing serial pests to troll people in the comments, no, just everyone has to do some of the lifting.

          • Alex “has called it”;-)

            Why would I have ““equally” admonished both plans” when one is demonstratively worst than the other (both to cost taxpayers tens of billions. LNP tens of billion less).

            “[you] have NEVER specifically, mentioned, let alone admonished the $29.5B to as much as $70B and the 4 year blow out”

            Ignoring your imaged $70B (though at $2b loss / year it is possible), the last time the LNP failure was pointed out was earlier today:
            https://delimiter.com.au/2016/05/24/hypocrisy-afr-launches-bizarre-attack-labor-nbn-raids/#li-comment-740082

            Zero knowledge, even less experience. Many more examples…

            “If so do it now… tell us the MTM blow out is a complete debacle beyond comparison and that the governmnet have mismanaged this roll out. like no other… go on”

            Isn’t beyond comparison, indeed many more (your pink batts (to lazy to install yourself), BER, Set-top-box, …). Comparison with other international updates would be instructive, sadly banned.

            The Treasurer demanding his safe place (like many before him).

          • Lol Richard I believe what Rizz it trying to point out to you that every time there is a failure in the policy you could have writen you have to mention something about labor or Conroy or Quigley sometimes all 3 to justify the failure in the mtm

          • Lol Richard I believe what Rizz it trying to point out to you that every time there is a failure in the policy you could have writen you have to mention something about labor or Conroy or Quigley sometimes all 3 to justify the failure in the mtm

            It’s the conservative way Jason (he uses the exact same rulebook as the LPA if you haven’t noticed).

          • sadly banned

            Sadly, you get banned on a lot of sites Richard. Do you think they are trying to silence you because you are correct, or something else?

          • “LNP tens of billion less”
            This just in $71.6b is tens of billions less than $45b.

            Numbers guy not so good at numbers, oh dear.

          • @Richard

            Point in fact, no matter which party is in power.
            The plan to use FTTP should have stayed in place.

            It would have been cheaper in the long run.
            FTTP now
            vs
            FTTN now + new project to replace to FTTP in the future.

            Unfortunately FTTN was chosen in order to gain favour with it being spun as being “faster” and “cheaper”.

            Sure they expected to deploy it faster than FTTP (with the use of already existing, degraded copper).
            Any individual with common sense could foresee the problem with using worn copper here, yet this wasn’t foreseen by the liberal party with their infinite resources and “wisdom”.

      • Dropping your foul abuse? If so welcomed.

        Your links shows after their election (3 weeks & 3 months) the premises to be passed forecast were to be revised down from Quigley’s CP; seriously? Look at the graph, Quigley’s forecasts were a fantasy.

        As for bonuses re underperformance it is a joke; as posted lets see when they actually achieve one.

        • “Dropping your foul abuse? If so welcomed.”

          If you could do the same, that would be appreciated. It’s not foul, but it is abuse.

          i.e. “Piggies” and “Squeal”

    • Richard
      I nice how you don’t factor in the forecast of everyone to have 25Mbps by and 2016 and 50Mbps by 2019
      or the forecast of the stragic review when the nbn was to hit 4.5 Million this year not 2 million

  5. delivering faulty ADSL and HFC where people are already complaining of 5 days downtime as expected. It is clear electoral fraud, they didn’t roll out anything. It was already there.

  6. I’m not sure why they should celebrate 1M subscribers – the only things that matters is how many residences are able to buy a service. The entire thing is a monopoly and they disconnect your existing telco services after they’ve been through.

    It’s like the Roads department patting themselves on the back for the number of vehicles registered – people don’t have a choice. (other than catching the bus or using a mobile phone in this case)

    • I’m not sure why they should celebrate 1M subscribers

      Especially when they run past 2.5 million premises. Wonder why the other 1.5 million can’t/don’t get it?

Comments are closed.