Telstra's variation to the NBN migration plan, using fibre-to-the-curb in addition to other technologies, has been granted approval by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The plan outlines steps that Telstra will take to migrate voice and broadband services from its existing copper and hybrid-fibre coaxial networks to the NBN. The variation was proposed by Telstra in October 2017.
The terms fibre-to-the-distribution-point and fibre-to-the-curb have been used interchangeably when stories about the NBN have appeared, but there is a difference, as was pointed out to iTWire some time ago by Mark Gregory, associate professor in network engineering at RMIT.
He pointed out in July last year that in the case of FttDP, the length of copper that formed the last bit of the connection was typically less than 40 metres.
{loadposition sam08}In the case of FttC, it was a variation of fibre-to-the-node where fibre was rolled out to within 300 to 400 metres of premises to either a pit or pole, and copper cables used for the lead-in.
The ACCC said today that, in response to a discussion paper released in December, NBN stakeholders had identified problems with the connection processes outlined by the NBN Co.
“The proposed connection processes could have resulted in people being left without a phone or Internet service before their FttC service was operating,” ACCC chairman Rod Sims said.
“NBN Co have now agreed to change connection processes and undertake data testing to ensure FttC services are operating prior to disconnection of existing services.”
“The ACCC welcomes these improvements, which should provide a safeguard against consumers being disconnected before they have access to a working NBN service.”
The ACCC said NBN Co would also notify FttC customers that they had up to 18 months to switch to the NBN before their phone and Internet services were disconnected.