Broadband opens up business opportunities in the bush

The delivery of fast broadband services to rural and regional Australia via the nbn™ fixed wireless network will help to close the digital divide and deliver new opportunities, according to new research released today.

The” Fixed Wireless Broadband: A Global Comparison” report found that the nbn™ fixed wireless service is world leading when compared to the performance of 21 overseas wireless broadband providers.

It found Australians connected to the nbn™ fixed wireless network are getting fast speeds and access to substantially higher data allowances from our Retail Service Providers (RSPs)  than anyone else in the world.

The research also shows few operators will be able to match the upcoming 50/20Mbps maximum wholesale speed – currently in a nationwide pilot.

David Kennedy, Research Director, Ovum said:

“Our research demonstrates the combined technical performance with high levels of affordability of the nbn™ fixed wireless network make it a world leading broadband service when compared to other overseas wireless operators.

“The arrival of the nbn™ network will position rural and regional Australians to gain new access to a host of applications at affordable prices, helping to close the gap between city and country as well as Australia and the rest of the world.”

Bill Morrow, CEO, nbn said:

“These research findings are reflected in the very high customer satisfaction displayed by our fixed wireless end-users who tell us they are receiving a reliable performance from our network.

“Thanks to competitive plans offered by our RSPs, nbn’s fixed wireless end-users in regional Australia are receiving value, speeds and data allowances that are opening up new opportunities in education and entertainment and business.

“We are already seeing examples of nbn™ network connected businesses increasing export opportunities, innovating ways of working or even able to remain in a regional location in an increasingly digital world. “

Håkan Eriksson, Head of Ericsson Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, said:

“With current nbn™ fixed -wireless end-users consuming nearly 70GB per month of data – and nbn currently trialling a 25-50/5-20Mbps wholesale service which will progress to a commercial launch later in the year – it is clear that the nbn™ fixed wireless service is providing a great way to deliver quality broadband services to Australians.

“Using LTE to deploy broadband networks in areas where fixed line broadband deployment is difficult allows nbn to expand coverage and advance network wholesale speeds as part of the overall nbn™ Multi-Technology Mix strategy.”

The ‘Fixed Wireless Broadband: A Global Comparison’ research report highlights a number of ways the nbn™ fixed wireless service is a world leading broadband service:

• Data allowances over the nbn™ fixed wireless network for its existing 25/5Mbps wholesale speed tier product (retailed by a nbn service provider) offered at least three times more data than the next best international peer, PLDT in the Philippines.*
• Price per GB for nbn’s existing 25/5Mbps wholesale speed tier product (retailed by a nbn service provider) was 75 per cent cheaper than even the next best value competitor, T-Mobile in the Czech Republic.
• It is expected that nbn’s wholesale upload speed performance for its upcoming 25-50/5-20Mbps wholesale speed tier product – currently in pilot – will be around 33 per cent higher than its next best peer, Meteor in Ireland.

By the end of the nbn™ network rollout, more than 600,000 premises are earmarked to receive fast broadband via the fixed wireless network, with more than a third of those homes and businesses already complete and more than 48,000 premises already connected.

Media enquiries

Frances Kearey	nbn™ Media Hotline
Mobile: 0418 416 408	Phone: 02 9927 4200
Email: franceskearey@nbnco.com.au	Email: media@nbnco.com.au

Notes to editors

• The "Fixed Wireless Broadband: A Global Comparison" report was commissioned by Ericsson and conducted by Ovum Research and published in July 2015.
• As nbn is a wholesale provider, Ovum picked two of nbn’s retail operators to provide a basis for product and pricing comparison where necessary in the report.
• The fixed wireless pilot is expected to conclude 20 business days after the commercial launch of the 25-50Mbps/5-20Mbps wholesale speed tier product, unless otherwise determined by nbn. Commercial launch of the wholesale speed tier product is scheduled for Q4 2015.
• The nbn™ network is being designed to provide wholesale speeds to our wholesale customers, telephone and internet service providers. End user experience including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn™ network depends on the technology over which services are delivered to the premises and some factors outside our control like the end user’s equipment quality, software, broadband plans and how the end user’s service provider designs its network.

*Note that nbn data allowances are set by retailers and vary between retail service providers.

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