Just like Telstra offered with its hybrid NBN 4G modem in February, so too is Vodafone going beyond the final NBN frontier with a 4G back-up plan where the N stands for now.
When you connect to the NBN, you want to go where almost everyone who has tried getting an NBN connection has gone before – to an actual wired connection over copper, HFC or fibre.
The problem is that crossing the NBN frontier can mean being without a connection for days or weeks until your chosen provider or “RSP” is able to fit you in and get you connected.
In the meantime, you have to wait, use your phone’s hotspot, get a separate 4G hotspot or leech free Wi-Fi from generous neighbours or city centres and shopping malls, and that time period without a direct connection can be a monumental and expensive pain.
{loadposition alex08}So, just like Telstra did in February, offering an NBN router with built-in 4G LTE as a pre-connectivity bridge to fast connectivity, and a connectivity bridge in case there’s a fault with your wired connection, so too can you go all the way with Vodafone with 4G connectivity as a back-up when you finally can purchase a Vodafone NBN connection.
The company explains it by stating that its future customers connecting to “Vodafone NBN” will be offered “complimentary internet access via the company’s mobile network while they wait for their fixed broadband to be installed".
While VHA’s NBN will arrive “later this year,” we are getting a sneak peek at the company’s Wi-Fi Hub modem now, with its ability to provide “both a fixed and mobile broadband connection.”
Now, just as with Telstra, there’s no plan here to offer a bonded connection that simultaneously blends both your wired and wireless connection for an even faster NBN experience – for now, something like that is still way too expensive on the wireless 4G front.
The way it works is that Vodafone will give its eventual NBN customers “unlimited Internet access via a pre-installed SIM to its mobile network in-between sign-up and service installation and where repairs need to be carried out by NBN Co to resolve a fault affecting an individual customer’s fixed service".
We are told that “the back-up service will be available for up to 30 days at a time with maximum speeds of 12Mbps for downloads and 1Mbps for uploads being offered to keep people online with speeds varied based on your network coverage and location".
There was an asterisk there which I have deleted simply so I can bring you the relevant info after this very sentence, which is as follows:
“Vodafone is giving customers complimentary unlimited Internet access via its 3G or 4G mobile network in-between sign-up and service installation and in the case of an NBN fault on a specific service (not for mass NBN outages) for a maximum of 30 days.
“Speeds during this period are throttled at a theoretical maximum of 12Mbps for downloads and 1 Mbps for uploads. Service performance varies depending on network coverage and your location with speeds likely less than the maximum. Both services will end when your NBN service is activated or re-activated. Our Fair Use Policy applies. Vodafone’s 4G coverage map is here.”
Vodafone’s general manager of Fixed Broadband, Matthew Lobb, noted “the company is proud to enhance the experience of Australian broadband customers".
"Over the last year, we have spoken to many Australians about their Internet experience to understand their concerns and needs.
“They have told us that they don’t care about the kind of technology their Internet runs on, they just want it to work. At launch we are proud to offer all Vodafone nbn customers access to the best of both worlds – our amazing mobile and broadband networks.
“We have listened to people’s concerns about missing out on Internet access or paying out of their own pockets for mobile data while they wait for their service to be installed or repaired. Thousands of people have registered on the Vodafone NBN Expressions of Interest Web page since it went live in May, showing a strong thirst for real choice and just not more of the same.
“To make the experience for our customers as simple as possible, we’ll be working closely with them in the lead-up to our public launch. During this time, we want to engage with customers to learn how we can make our broadband experience as great as possible.”
So, there you go. If an NBN outage lobs up, your connection should seamlessly switch over to Vodafone’s 4G network, and as long as the apocalypse hasn’t arrived (which means a truly mass NBN outage that is super serious and not quickly fixable), Vodafone's 4G network promises to be there for you.
Whether this means Vodafone will have more than enough capacity to ensure it isn’t overselling its NBN connectivity at peak Netflix viewing prime times is yet to be seen, but one can only imagine the company prefers its current Kogan-like stance of unpromising and overdelivering, and doesn’t want to go anywhere near the Vodafail days of old which it has spent so much money, blood, sweat and tears dramatically transforming away from over the years.
So, if you’re interesting in finding out when Vodafone’s NBN plans are set to launch, you can sign up to receive more information here.
Finally, here are the specs for the 'Vodafone Wi-Fi Hub':
- Supports up to 32 devices simultaneously
- Compatible with ADSL, VDSL and NBN
- Ethernet WAN
- 1 x Gigabit Ethernet port
- 2 x Fast Ethernet ports
- 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n certified
- 5GHz Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac certified
- Integrated 4G LTE capability with 3G backup
- 1 x Multi-function USB 2.0 Port
- CPE Remote Management
- DLNA Certified
- Easy push button connection to pair wireless devices (WPS)
- VPN Pass-through for PPTP, L2TP and Ipsec.
- IPv4 / IPv6 support
- QoS support
- Customer facing GUI for Advanced Settings Management
