The ACCC has released its quarterly dataset on NBN service quality and network performance in Australia for the period ending September 2024.
The findings indicate that most service orders were completed and faults restored within one business day, driven by increased automation introduced by NBN. While the company successfully connects a high percentage of services within the standard timeframes, performance declines when considering connections specifically for standard telephone services, which have stricter timelines.
Outages reported during the quarter were primarily due to planned maintenance or upgrade activities rather than emergency incidents. The HFC network experienced a higher proportion of outages compared to its share of total services, while outages due to third-party factors, such as power failures, were not included in the dataset. A small number of premises remain connected to copper lines requiring substantial improvement work to meet minimum standards, with NBN allowing up to 18 months to complete these upgrades.
NBN has initiated public consultation on potential improvements to its service standards, focusing on aspects most valued by consumers.
NBN reported 791,011 completed connections for the quarter, with 86 percent of these classified as logical connections requiring no physical work. Among them, 98 percent were completed within the one-business-day service level.
For the 107,230 connections that required additional physical work, 93 percent were completed within the target timeframe, which varies by location and access type. Connections for standard telephone services, which have separate target service levels, saw 2,920 completions during the quarter, with 77 percent meeting the required timeframe. Priority Assistance connections, designated for households with a diagnosed life-threatening medical condition, had 916 completions, with 99 percent meeting the target service level of 100 percent.
A total of 139,580 service faults were rectified during the quarter, with 86 percent resolved without requiring plant work or technician attendance. Of these, 93 percent were addressed within one business day. The Fibre to the Node (FTTN) network accounted for the highest number of service faults rectified, which aligns with its status as the most widely used access technology, representing 31 percent of active NBN services.
NBN recorded 8,242 emergency and planned outages for the quarter, excluding those caused by third parties such as electricity providers. Planned outages comprised 85 percent of the total, indicating that most disruptions were pre-scheduled with prior notice. Emergency outages required immediate response and unscheduled work.
The HFC network accounted for the highest percentage of planned outages (30 percent) with 2,121 recorded incidents. Additionally, 52 percent of outages impacting more than 500 services occurred on the HFC network, a disproportionately high share given that HFC represents 23 percent of total active services.
The dataset also provides insights into the progress of fibre network upgrades. The cumulative number of premises where NBN has completed upgrade work (Ready to Order) is contrasted with those that have completed the upgrade (Connected). The data is broken down by access technology, distinguishing upgrades from copper-based services (FTTN and Fibre to the Curb) from those transitioning from Fixed Wireless.
ACCC said consumer adoption of fibre services is influenced by factors such as the availability of fibre infrastructure and incentives provided by NBN and retail service providers to facilitate migration. Figures indicate that while the number of premises eligible for fibre connections continues to grow, actual consumer uptake is lagging behind.
Baburajan Kizhakedath
