Mark and Roy Makari are expanding their presence in Sydney’s South West with a second major proposal for Leppington, this time envisioning a 900-dwelling mixed-use development just 850 metres from their previously lodged tower trio on Fifth Avenue.

The latest application seeks approval for a multi-building project at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/230-rickard-road-leppington-nsw-2179">230 Rickard Road, Leppington</a>. The proposal seeks to establish a new focal point for the precinct through a high-density, transit-oriented development supported by diverse land uses.

According to the Scoping Report prepared for the Department of Planning, the scheme includes around 900 apartments across multiple towers, including 135 dwellings designated for affordable housing. A mix of market and subsidised apartments will be supported by ground-level activation through retail and office space, a childcare centre, and a hotel, forming a comprehensive urban precinct.

<img alt="Mixed Use Development 230 Rickard Rd Leppington" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="34797362-f3dc-4d84-8235-2657fc5f3bde" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Plan.png?VersionId=Uzckrz9tUpDQl5lX1_WMhjnv16bsr8wG" />

The Design Report by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/studiosc-0">Studio SC</a> notes that the project “intends to deliver a high-quality, high-density built form that supports the vision for the Leppington Town Centre, integrating mixed-use outcomes and public domain upgrades.” The development is expected to be delivered in stages, although a precise timeline is yet to be confirmed.

The project will be assessed through a future State Significant Development Application, with the Scoping Report indicating the team will seek design excellence via a competitive process or through an expert design review panel. Early massing diagrams suggest a series of mid- to high-rise buildings framing a central landscaped spine, with emphasis on pedestrian permeability and public space.

The planning documentation flags a strong sustainability agenda, stating that the development will “respond to the urban heat island effect, incorporate water sensitive urban design, and prioritise active transport”.

<img alt="Mixed Use Development 230 Rickard Rd Leppington" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="369d7b54-1279-4cde-88ec-dcb215594414" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Podium_1.png?VersionId=QArL7B2kkLt63vl5xvL0FNV_ardAlez4" />

The proposal follows in the footsteps of the Makaris’ nearby Fifth Avenue site, where they’ve submitted plans for three towers comprising nearly 500 apartments, with 10 per cent dedicated to affordable housing. That project features commercial podiums, a childcare centre, and a new public park that would occupy more than a third of the site.

Both developments are situated within walking distance of Leppington Train Station and fall under strategic precinct plans promoting higher density housing. The town centre is undergoing substantial transformation, driven by state government planning reforms aimed at fast-tracking housing delivery.

Together, the two projects represent a combined ambition of nearly 1,400 new homes across just under two kilometres of central Leppington.

Staff Writer

First look: 900-home mixed-use precinct planned for Leppington

Leading Australian integrated property development group, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/aqualand-australia">Aqualand</a>, has released the signature penthouses crowning its landmark AURA by Aqualand precinct at 168 Walker Street in North Sydney, unveiling Il Magnate and La Divina as the largest and most luxurious penthouses in the suburb.

With prices anticipated to commence from $15 million, and each accompanied by a new Porsche Carrera 911 valued at over $500K, the residences mark the culmination of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/aura-by-aqualand-north-sydney-168-walker-street-north-sydney-nsw-2060">AURA by Aqualand</a>’s decade-long journey and the beginning of its final sales chapter. 
&nbsp; 
Their release follows more than $850 million in record-breaking residential sales and the building’s completion and occupation.

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The Richards Stanisich-designed 284 sqm Il Magnate and 224 sqm La Divina penthouses, collectively known as The Icons of AURA, are conceived as grand luxury homes rather than apartments, with expansive proportions, elevated materiality and curated identities that reflect their status as one-off residences.&nbsp;

Il Magnate features a grande master suite, complete with substantial walk-in dressing area and ensuite, three other bedrooms, second ensuite and another bathroom, powder room, open plan kitchen, scullery, substantial dining area and generous living room divided by a feature fireplace, and a multifunction wintergarden, which is ideal for a study and adjoining office breakout space. &nbsp;

Meanwhile, the La Divina residence offers the same amenities, sans the powder room, on a slightly smaller alternate floor plan configuration.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=30959 project_image_fid=358863]

Each occupies half of AURA by Aqualand’s topmost 28th level, comes with four secure car spaces and pairs sweeping Sydney Harbour panoramas with large-scale living spaces, refined detailing and a level of craftsmanship and amenity rarely offered in the North Shore market.&nbsp;

Penthouse residents will also receive Etymon’s ‘Black Key’ private concierge and lifestyle management service, an invitation only offering providing the ultimate in bespoke personalisation, including a range of everyday discrete services, from dinner party management, grocery deliveries, pet feeding or plants watered, dinners, snacks and coffee deliveries, event ticket sourcing, right up to organising travel visas and international airfares. Rarely seen in Australian properties, the service provides residents the benefits of living in a world-class luxury hotel-style home, akin to The Ritz, or the Waldorf Astoria.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=30959 project_image_fid=358862]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/richards-stanisich">Richards Stanisich</a>’s Director, Kirsten Stanisich, said the studio set out to craft residences that feel profoundly considered, contemporary and deeply connected to their setting.

“From the outset, we approached these penthouses with the sensibility of a grand Parisian residence - generous in scale, elegant in proportion and designed to feel more like a handcrafted home than an apartment," Stanisich said.

“Their elevated position and sweeping harbour outlook informed every decision, creating a rare connection between urban sophistication and natural calm. We shaped each space with expressive materiality, sculptural forms and bespoke detailing that invite touch and interaction.&nbsp;

“The result is a pair of residences defined by volume, light and an inherent softness - refined, flexible and deeply personal. These penthouses are unlike anything else in North Sydney, offering a sanctuary of true luxury framed by some of the city’s most remarkable views.”

For Aqualand’s Head of Sales &amp; Marketing, Alex Adams, the collaboration with Porsche underscores the shared ethos behind the residences.

“Aqualand’s collaboration with Porsche underpins both brand’s sharing an obsession with craftsmanship, design excellence, and enduring value," Adams said.

“Our penthouses are created for those who appreciate the finer details and expect the extraordinary at every touchpoint. Including a Porsche simply extends that experience beyond the residence - it’s a continuation of the lifestyle our buyers already live.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=30959 project_image_fid=292862]

Aqualand’s Managing Director, Jin Lin, said the penthouses represent both the pinnacle of AURA by Aqualand and an important design benchmark for the company’s future pipeline.&nbsp;

“These stunning penthouses reflect the purest expression of Aqualand’s design ambition," Lin said.

“The unparalleled design intent makes them not only the glistening crown of AURA by Aqualand, but the crown of North Sydney itself. They’re essentially a thank you gift to a burgeoning community that deserves this level of quality and architectural consideration.&nbsp;

“We’re leveraging the unrivalled standard set here as the foundation for what comes next, including our upcoming Anderson Street, Chatswood; 15 Blue Street, North Sydney and Central Barangaroo projects. Purchasers of these penthouses will essentially be living inside the blueprint of Aqualand’s future.

“These landmark residences demonstrate how far North Sydney has evolved and the strength of demand for highly curated, bespoke luxury homes. They’re more than penthouses, they’re legacy residences.&nbsp;

“With AURA by Aqualand now a thriving new precinct with residents well and truly settled, and our in-house world-class lifestyle amenity activated, Il Magnate and La Divina represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure an extraordinary piece of North Sydney’s future.”

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=30959]

Joel Robinson

Aqualand launches North Sydney penthouses with free Porsche Carrera 911

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/bokarina-qld-4575">Bokarina</a> Beach has quietly evolved into one of the Sunshine Coast’s most complete coastal lifestyle precincts, defined not just by proximity to the ocean, but by how residential living, local retail and everyday amenity are stitched together.&nbsp;

Gardner Vaughan Group’s <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/bask-bokarina-38-bokarina-boulevard-bokarina-qld-4575">Bask Bokarina</a> now represents the final residential chapter in that transformation.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=141609 project_image_fid=333360]

Over recent years, the Bokarina Beach precinct has taken shape as a walkable, community-oriented neighbourhood, anchored by beachfront access, Lake Kawana to the west, and a growing mix of cafés, specialty retail and public open space.&nbsp;

With Zinc Bokarina already delivered next door by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/gardner-vaughan-group">Gardner Vaughan Group</a> (GVG), Bask is the last opportunity to buy a brand new apartment within the precinct, effectively rounding out a fully formed coastal village.

GVG has positioned Bask to strengthen that lifestyle framework. Nine ground-floor retail spaces are planned beneath the residences, extending Bokarina Boulevard’s existing activity and reinforcing the area’s everyday convenience, from casual dining and coffee to local services, within a short walk of the beach.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=141609 project_image_fid=333359]

The residential component comprises 135 apartments across two buildings, Mydas and Caretta, with a clear shift toward larger three- and four-bedroom layouts and penthouses. That mix reflects a maturing buyer profile in Bokarina, where demand is increasingly led by owner-occupiers and active downsizers seeking space, permanence, and connection to place rather than short-term coastal accommodation.

Design and amenity have followed the same logic. Residents will have access to a heated plunge pool, gym, private dining room with a full kitchen, landscaped communal gardens with barbecues and a firepit, and a shared herb and vegetable garden, facilities intended to support daily use rather than resort-style turnover. Pet-friendly features, including a dog wash bay, acknowledge both buyer expectations and the area’s dog-friendly beach, located around 250 metres from the site.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=141609 project_image_fid=333366]

“Bokarina has become one of the Sunshine Coast’s most desirable beachside communities, and Bask represents the very last chance to buy new in this location,” GVG Director Sam Gardner said.&nbsp;

“Our focus has been to create spacious, functional apartments that meet the needs of locals who want to downsize without compromise, as well as those seeking a full-time coastal retreat.”

Positioned between the Pacific Ocean and Lake Kawana, Bask apartments have been oriented to capture outlooks toward the water or the Glass House Mountains, reinforcing the project’s connection to its natural surroundings. With parks, beachfront paths, hospitals, retail and public transport already in place, Bask arrives at a point where the broader precinct is no longer emerging, but established.

Construction is expected to complete in Q3 this year, with apartments ready to move into this Spring.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=141609]

Bask to complete Bokarina’s Sunshine Coast lifestyle precinct as final apartments are released

Property development giant <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/avid-property-group">AVID Property Group</a> is approaching completion, and sell-out, of its Surry Hills apartment development, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-rathbone-23-47-flinders-street-surry-hills-nsw-2010">The Rathbone</a>.

The Flinders St project has sold well over half of its 32 apartments, which will sit above two retail spaces.

Now hitting the market are the final 14 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, which start from $1.15 million. AVID is targeting a mid-2026 completion.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5947 project_image_fid=51208]

AVID General Manager New South Wales Danny Boubli said as more apartments are introduced to increase housing options in inner-city areas, homebuyers are searching for a &nbsp;sense of belonging in addition to location, convenience and value.&nbsp;

“There are very few opportunities for new developments in Surry Hills, and since acquiring the site, we’ve even seen one early purchaser merge two apartments plans together, reflecting the demand for a spacious, premium offering in a prime location,” Boubli said.&nbsp;

“Demand has been strong since we launched to market – we don’t see these final apartments staying on the market for long.”&nbsp;

Architectural firm Studio SC has designed the building which pays homage to the former 1900s Rathbone Terraces that once sat on the 990 sqm island site.

Boubil said the team has made every effort to create "truly liveable apartments", through&nbsp;functional floor plans, security, storage, and the inclusion of quality fittings.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5947 project_image_fid=51207]

&nbsp;

Sustainable design has also been implemented throughout the development, with natural light flooding each apartment, ventilation throughout, extensive landscaping and where possible, materials with a high level of recycled content and low volatile organic compound paints have been used. &nbsp;

Apartments range in size from 57 sqm for the one-bedrooms to the large-scale 165 sqm three-beds which are priced at $2,575,000.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=5947]

AVID launches final apartments at The Rathbone, Surry Hills

A wave of investment, renewal and precinct growth continues to shape the northern edge of Macquarie Park, where daily life is supported by a rare combination of university activity, corporate employment, major retail, and expansive green corridors. It’s this convergence of amenity and connectivity underpins the setting for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a>’s <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/la-vera-94-talavera-road-macquarie-park-nsw-2113">La Vera</a>, which has now topped out and is tracking toward completion in mid-2026.

Within this pocket of the precinct, residents move easily between the area’s key anchors. Macquarie Centre, home to more than 360 retailers, fresh food offerings, dining and entertainment, sits at the heart of local convenience and functions as a major transport interchange. The Metro, T1 rail line and extensive bus network place much of Sydney within quick reach, while surrounding arterial links support direct access to neighbouring districts.

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Green space remains a defining feature of the immediate environment. Lane Cove National Park stretches along the northern boundary of the precinct, offering bushland trails, cycling routes and quiet riverfront pockets. Shrimptons Creek and the campus grounds of Macquarie University extend these recreational networks, softening the urban setting and creating a daily connection to nature that informs the project’s architectural response.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">Cox Architecture</a> have shaped La Vera around these contrasts. The building’s northern elevation adopts an organic, curvilinear form that mirrors the natural topography of the national park. Three sculpted forms soften the tower’s profile and encourage a stronger transition between indoor living areas, balconies and the broader landscape.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134951 project_image_fid=223737]

Cox Director Felipe Miranda says the building’s outlook played a central role in the design process.

“The vision for the project was to conceive a building that adopted an organic and curvilinear form to the northern portion that faces the Lane Cove National Park… The residents that reside in the northern portion of the building benefit by having beautifully crafted curved balconies that speak to the natural context and heighten the relationship of their internal living spaces to the external balconies,” Felipe Miranda of Cox Architecture said.

Toward the city-facing side, the design shifts to a more urban expression. A gridded facade and extensive glazing capture CBD views, creating a dual strategy that blends ecological outlooks with metropolitan orientation.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134951 project_image_fid=5827]

La Vera delivers 169 residences across one- to four-bedroom layouts, reflecting the needs of young families, downsizers, first-home buyers and investors seeking long-term certainty within a high-amenity location. From the project, residents can walk to Macquarie University, Macquarie Hospital and nearby corporate offices, reach national park trails within minutes, and enjoy retail and dining without relying on a car.

The project is delivered by Urban Property Group, a 4.5-star iCIRT-rated developer-builder with more than three decades of experience. The company has become a leader in adopting 10-Year Latent Defects Insurance (LDI), first introduced on its Parq Bexley development and now embedded into its pipeline.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134951 project_image_fid=223727]

La Vera is the first development in Macquarie Park approved to offer this 10-year LDI policy, adding another layer of protection for purchasers and reinforcing the transparency of the construction process.

Urban Property Group CEO Patrick Elias says this assurance has become increasingly important for buyers navigating the off-the-plan market.

“Consumers are a lot more weary and a lot more concerned in buying off the plan than they ever have been… Having LDI is a tool to portray the confidence that we have in our product, and a confidence we want buyers to share,” Urban Property Group CEO Patrick Elias said.

Urban Property Group's in-house construction team is forecasting a mid-2026 completion, with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/home789">HOME789</a> appointed as the project marketer.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134951]

La Vera delivers a nature-connected address within Macquarie Park’s core

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All Australian homes will have broadband connectivity by 2020, according to a senior executive of NBN Co tasked with rolling out the National Broadband Network which promises to deliver super fast internet.
NBN Co’s chief network deployment officer Kathrine Dyer has said that no premises will be left unconnected by the time the rollout is completed in 2020, according to The Australian.
“There will be a lot of night works, additional traffic management and higher level of consultation with council on land access,” Dyer said.
Nearly 200,000 premises faced lengthy delays connecting to the network despite the fact that the NBN has been rolled out in their neighbourhoods.
These “service class 0” premises, which make up close to 5 per cent of the 5 million or so premises ready to receive NBN service, have been put in the “too-hard ­basket” by NBN Co.
Dyer said some premises had been left in limbo and NBN Co was working to ensure they would not fall further behind.
“This year is the year we look at these premises and start making them serviceable,” she was cited as saying by The Weekend Australian.
Back in 2015, when NBN Co revealed its plan to reach 9.1 million homes by 2018, its chief executive Bill Morrow had said, “This is a bold plan that puts us in striking distance of our ultimate goal of delivering better broadband to every Australian by 2020.
Two years down the line, the project has been marred by delays and criticism. In September 2016, a joint standing committee of parliament was established to inquire into the NBN rollout. 
Dyer said the ­decision to leave some premises behind was due to several factors, not just technology. 
“We had some examples where we would get to multi-dwelling units (apartments) and the body corporate would tell us to come back in 12 months,” she said.
Critics, however, say the decision to bypass homes was more about meeting aggressive rollout targets and keeping costs down.
Recently, Rod Tucker, a telecommunications expert and professor at the University of Melbourne, told the Senate committee overseeing NBN that Australia’s FTTP fibre-to-the-premises connections were costing $4,405 on average and were among the most expensive in the world.
With the rollout entering the metro areas, the next 12 months are expected to be critical for NBN Co as connecting metro suburbs will require significant civil works and better co-ordination between NBN Co and the retail service ­providers.
Dyer said the biggest pain for consumers was a lack of clarity about on where NBN Co’s responsibility ended and the retail service providers took over. 
“We are all on a journey here and there’s a learning curve here for providers and residents,” she said.
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jonathanchancellor-7SQnKwU6yx

NBN to connect everyone by 2020: Kathrine Dyer

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The National Broadband Network is reviewing the pricing for Australia's $50 billion broadband network to address growing complaints by customers about internet speeds and quality.
The chief executive of NBN, Bill Morrow, said the company is facing an image problem. Telcos have complained that it was the NBN's pricing mode that was driving up their prices, while at the same time around 15 per cent of users were facing problems.
Morrow said he was reviewing the pricing model that could include measures to give disgruntled customers a better idea about the quality of the service they were paying for. 
He said a "land grab" by retail service providers chasing market share was misleading customers about the speeds they were paying for, The Australian Financial Review reported.
"We have to take it seriously, it is causing reputational damage and it does need to get fixed and we are committed to working with the industry to get it fixed," said Morrow.
A review of the pricing model could include introducing "minimum assurance" standards for certain products, such as media streaming, to ensure customers were receiving a certain level of service. He said NBN was looking at a restructuring of the pricing mechanism.
"I am sympathetic with the many smaller retailers, in particular, who say I am stuck in this price war and I can't step up and raise my price to the end users.
"So, we are thinking can we restructure the CVC (Connectivity Virtual Circuit charge) and the AVC (monthly access charge) to have a minimum assurance of a certain quality of product ... do we introduce a media streaming product?"
NBN Co is in initial talks with broadband providers.
The CVC charge is the price NBN charges service providers for the bandwidth they want for their customers. The NBN lowered its its CVC charge to $15.25 per megabit per second from $20 per megabit per second in December last year. Under a new pricing model announced earlier this year, they will be able to get discounts based on how much CVC they purchase per end-user. 
Morrow said most NBN problems were around two issues: slower-than-expected internet speeds reported by some customers and technical issues in connecting premises. About 15 per cent of NBN customers have complained about their connections.
Just a few days back, NBN Co’s chief network deployment officer Kathrine Dyer said no premises will be left unconnected by the time the rollout is completed in 2020.
Nearly 200,000 premises faced lengthy delays connecting to the network despite the fact that the NBN has been rolled out in their neighbourhoods.
Morrow said the number of complaints was rising as new network connections accelerated, but the overall percentage had fallen. It is activating about 40,000 to 50,000 new customers a week, which will increase even more as the project is targeted to be complete in 2020.
The NBN has been swamped with complaints from customers about speeds that they say are lower than what they used to get on ADSL. 
When asked if the NBN had an image problem, he said: "I do [agree]….it is partly our fault. It is partly taken out of context because 85 per cent [of customers] are fine with this. It is the 15 per cent that is a large number because of the volumes we are dealing with. It is not just a lightly dissatisfied but a seriously dissatisfied service."
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims said last week Telstra, Optus, TPG and Vocus could face legal action if they were found to have misled consumers about their NBN speeds.
"Most of the marketing attention is on price, not what kind of speed you are going to get," Morrow said, adding that 75 per cent of customers did not know what speed they were on.
"There is a land grab phenomena where retailers are chasing market share and classically during a land grab phase you get more discussion on price and less discussion about quality."
He said NBN was working on installation problems, particularly issues around an existing provider cutting off a customers' service before they were connected to the NBN. 
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NBN chief admits to image problem, will review pricing

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Amid all the controversy surrounding slow NBN speeds, a new report shows that Australia is at 55th position for download speeds, behind Estonia, Kenya, Bahamas, Cyprus and Ukraine.
Figures from Cable.co.uk, which used data from M-Lab, show the country lags behind most of Europe.
Australia’s a mean download speed is 7.7 mbps, according to an article in the Herald Sun.
Singapore topped the list with a download speed of 55.13Mbps.
For comparison, a 7.5GB movie can download in 18 minutes and 34 seconds in Singapore while in Australia it would take two hours and 12 minutes based on the mean speed.
Director of Melbourne Networked Society Institute Professor Thas Nirmalathas said Australia’s population could be slowing the country down but internet service providers are partly to blame.
“A big factor is that internet service providers are not keeping up their investment to be consistent with the NBN investment,” he said.
“The NBN debate has been running a long time and other countries have managed to speed up their deployment so that’s why we are behind.”
Professor Nirmalathas said the NBN would improve the connectivity between the home and exchange point but much work was to be done to achieve that.
“You have to be careful when comparing the statistics as we are a vast population and it’s not comparing apples versus apples, but Australia should be able to do better than it is.”
The year-long study collected data from 63 million tests of broadband speeds from around the word.
Recently, another report suggested that if telcos paid just $9.75 extra a month per connection, speeds for the National Broadband Network would vastly improve.
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NBN woes: Study shows Australia lags most of Europe and some African countries in download speeds

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The National Broadband Network’s FTTP (fibre-to-the-premises) connections are costing $4405 on average and are among the most expensive in the world, according to an industry expert.
Rod Tucker, a telecommunications expert and professor at the University of Melbourne, told the Senate committee overseeing NBN that Australia FTTP connections on average per premises was way higher than New Zealand’s $NZ2800 ($2677) and even the United States’ $US1719 ($2259), The Australian reported.
“Australia’s FTTP rollout is likely to be one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive, in the world,” he said in a question on notice tabled in the Senate.
Even new technologies were not able to reduce connection costs, Dr Tucker said.
For comparison, he said Verizon in the US had halved FTTP connection costs since the start of the rollout while in France and Spain, operator Orange had reduced connection costs by 10 per cent each year.
NBN Co, however, claims that this cost is fixed, Dr Tucker said.
In fact, many countries with high GDP per capita, like Australia, have in fact lower costs for FTTP.
An NBN spokeswoman told the Australian that the “extremely high cost of deploying FTTP to every single premise is why almost every country around the world is deploying a mixture of technologies to deliver better broadband”.
“Whilst smaller countries like Singapore may not be able to ­afford to deliver FTTP to every single premise, larger countries like the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the UK and ­others are deploying a combination of ... technologies to deliver better broadband — just as we are doing at NBN.”
Adding to the controversy is recent research by the Centre for Research Excellence in the Social Determinants of Health Equity that examined the rollout of NBN technologies as of December 2016. It said "preliminary analyses suggest areas of greatest socio-economic disadvantage overlap with regions typically receiving NBN infrastructure of poorer quality". 
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NBN network rollout costs among the highest in the world

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More than 7.4 million consumers are now connected to the National Broadband Network after the activation of 383,257 new services in the three months to 30 June, 2020.
The ACCC’s Wholesale Market Indicators Report released today shows more than 255,000 households signed up to 50Mbps NBN plan, with almost 5 million customers on higher speed plans of 50Mbps and above by the end of June.
There was also an 11.9 per cent jump in the uptake of the higher speed 100Mbps plans, with 9.1 per cent of households now subscribing to a 100Mbps plan.
“Many more households have been at home during the day during the COVID-19 pandemic and have likely chosen higher speed plans to accommodate increased broadband use whether it be for work, entertainment or even for their children to attend school during the lockdown,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said.
“Given the high demand for high-speed broadband during March to June in particular, we are fortunate that the NBN rollout is largely completed, as it has become an increasingly essential service for people to stay connected.”
The number of entry-level 12Mbps services decreased by 3.7 per cent over the quarter, while 25Mbps services increased by 7.4 per cent. There were more than 2.3 million households on 12Mbps and 25Mbps plans as at the end of June.
“It is more important than ever that consumers have the right plan in place to ensure they are able to access broadband services,” Mr Sims said.
The March 2020 quarterly report showed available NBN bandwidth per user jumped by 31 per cent, following NBN Co’s boost of network capacity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The additional network capacity offered by NBN Co at the outset of COVID-19 restrictions in March has been welcomed by the retail service providers, and has been an important factor in ensuring consumers have sufficient network capacity to meet their work, educational and entertainment needs during the pandemic,” Mr Sims said.
NBN Co’s temporary offer of additional 40 per cent capacity to retail service providers (RSPs) remained in place this quarter and total Connectivity Virtual Circuit (CVC), that is, the bandwidth acquired by RSPs, grew by a further 3.5 per cent to 18.4Tbps. CVC per user remained fairly stable, falling slightly over the June quarter, from 2.52Mbps to 2.47Mbps.
Telstra continues to have the highest market share, with 46.4 per cent of all services, down slightly on last quarter; both TPG and Optus increased their share slightly over the quarter to 22.3 per cent and 15.4 per cent respectively.
Smaller RSPs increased their share of the NBN wholesale market this quarter, from 8.1 per cent to 8.8 per cent. This group was led by Aussie Broadband and Vodafone, with 3.5 per cent and 2 per cent of all connections respectively.
There continue to be 10 wholesale access seeker groups acquiring services directly from NBN Co at all 121 POIs, and 11 or more access seeker groups connected at 119 of the POIs.
In May 2020, NBN Co also introduced a new set of premium products, branded as “Home Fast” up to 100/20Mbps; “Home superfast 250/25Mbps; and “Home Ultrafast” at least 500/50Mbps.
“The ACCC welcomes these new options being made available for consumers for whom speed is important. The availability of these new plans broadens the scope of retail offers, which will boost competition in the retail market,” Mr Sims said.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Increase in higher speed NBN plan signups during COVID-19: ACCC

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Telecommunication providers are taking positive steps to meet consumers’ demands in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the National Broadband Network (NBN Co) is being urged to reduce its wholesale broadband charges for these providers.
Companies such as Telstra and Optus offer broadband plans over the NBN, purchasing broadband data from the NBN at wholesale prices, which they then distribute to customers. In this time of crisis, the NBN should slash its wholesale prices. This will enable providers to purchase the extra data needed to meet demand as the country adopts widespread social-distancing.
<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/nbn-urged-to-intervene-as-pandemic-tests-broadband-connections-20200316-p54ain">Several</a> <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/unprecedented-demand-for-nbn/news-story/753610eb604595b878cd8880739d4618">media</a> <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/nbn-braces-for-increased-load-as-covid-19-keeps-people-at-home/12062128">outlets</a> have covered how data usage over the NBN is expected to boom as more people self-isolate, and start working and studying from home.
Unfortunately, at a time when Australians are depending on the NBN for high speeds and reliable connections for telework and remote education, many people may be let down.
Expect strain
Communications representatives from <a href="https://www.paulfletcher.com.au/media-releases/media-release-telco-industry-roundtable-on-covid-19">both</a> <a href="https://www.michellerowland.com.au/news/media-releases-communications/media-release-temporary-capacity-relief-for-telcos-should-be-considered-if-nbn-becomes-congested-16-march-2020/">sides</a> of government have acknowledged the virus’s spread will lead to hoards of people becoming reliant on the web for work and study.
This will lead to increased online traffic, slower internet speeds and higher wholesale costs for providers serviced by the NBN, limiting the amount of extra data these providers can purchase.
On Monday the <a href="https://www.paulfletcher.com.au/media-releases/media-release-telco-industry-roundtable-on-covid-19">federal government</a> reported the NBN had experienced a “modest increase of around 6% throughout the day and at peak times,” in comparison to figures predating COVID-19’s spread.
Looking forward, the network expects busy hour traffic, typically between 6pm to 9pm, to <a href="https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/fletcher/media-release/telco-industry-roundtable-covid-19">increase by up to 40%</a>, in line with other countries’ experiences. In Italy, data shared with NBN by <a href="https://www.telecomitalia.com/tit/it">Telecom Italia</a> showed Italy’s busy hour traffic had increased by about 26%.
A second-rate system
In Australia, the coalition government’s 2013 decision to move to a copper-based multi-technology mix NBN, instead of Labor’s all fibre network with Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), has seen Australia fall down the global broadband rankings. Fibre to the Premises is when fibre optic lines run from the nearest available node directly to a premises.
Currently, low quality streaming over the NBN occurs for two reasons. Firstly, because of the NBN’s high data charges for service providers, and also because of the second-rate multi-technology mix infrastructure. And this will only worsen as more people adhere to social-distancing and isolation measures.
Entertainment and sport streamed over the NBN is often streamed at a resolution of 576p rather than the high-definition 1080p or 4K. Frustrated viewers are left watching media at a quality similar to old analog television, due to the NBN’s use of obsolete, slow and unreliable technology since 2014, under the coalition government.
Media streaming companies including <a href="https://www.foxtel.com.au/whats-on/foxtel-insider/foxtel/iq4k/satellite-vs-internet">Foxtel</a> have also complained their poor streaming quality is a result of this.
With COVID-19 causing mass disruptions, Comcast owned media and entertainment company NBCUniversal recently <a href="https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/comcast-nbcuniversal-moves-to-make-current-movies-available-in-the-home">announced</a> it will end the practice of delaying online film releases to streaming companies like Netflix for several months after the film’s cinema release.
NBCUniversal said, in reference to social-distancing and smaller audiences expected at cinemas: “current circumstances have made it more challenging to view our films”.
Unfortunately for Australians, even if we can get new movies over the NBN the same day they’re released, we could be stuck with poor quality and congestion during peak times.
Our neighbours set an example
In New Zealand, an FTTP rollout has been progressing since 2012. Connections to Chorus <a href="https://www.chorus.co.nz/">UFB broadband</a> (New Zealand’s NBN equivalent) cost a flat monthly fee for service providers, don’t incur a data usage charge, and have no data usage limits.
This has allowed companies to quickly respond to the pandemic, and they have begun offering extra content free of charge. For instance, <a href="http://itwire.com/entertainment/nz-s-spark-sport-channel-offers-free-viewing-until-may">Spark Sport</a> is providing its six sports channels and on-demand offerings at no charge for existing and new customers until May.
In a <a href="https://www.nbnco.com.au/corporate-information/media-centre/media-statements/increase-in-residential-data-demand">statement</a>, NBN Co chief executive Stephen Rue said the company was working with retailers to “do everything possible to optimise the NBN to support the expected increase in residential use”.
On Tuesday, when asked if there would be cost subsidies for retailers or consumers, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/nbn-braces-for-increased-load-as-covid-19-keeps-people-at-home/12062128">Rue told the ABC</a> the NBN was working with retailers, to ensure they be provided with “the capacity they need”.
The NBN published a guide on <a href="http://www.nbn.com.au/workingfromhome">working from home</a> during the pandemic. It highlights the need for broadband consumers to purchase an NBN plan that offers the right speed necessary for their internet activities.
NBN, now’s the time to show-up for Australians
While the NBN is set to benefit from the extra data usage during the pandemic, Telstra and Optus have taken a <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/technology/telstra-optus-offer-free-internet-access-during-coronavirus-pandemic-calls-for-nbn-to-follow/news-story/06d4540a20b35a9ba358807dfa29c14e">positive step</a> by offering customers additional broadband data and internet access, free of charge.
During April, <a href="https://www.optus.com.au/for-you/support/answer?id=20065">Optus will provide an additional 20GB for postpaid mobile customers and 10GB for prepaid</a> customers. <a href="https://exchange.telstra.com.au/supporting-our-customers-during-covid-19/">Telstra has gone one step further to provide an extra 25GB for postpaid mobile customers</a>, if they apply for it through <a href="https://www.telstra.com.au/my-account/telstra-24x7-app">the Telstra 24x7 app</a>.
Moreover, Telstra home broadband users will have unlimited data from this Thursday until 30 April. Telstra will be paying NBN a potentially huge amount for this extra data deployment.
For the sake of the public, the NBN should reduce its wholesale data charges during this pandemic. It could look to move to a flat monthly-access fee with no data usage charges, similar to the approach taken in New Zealand.
The good news is, the NBN will probably eventually heed calls to action and lower these charges.
The network is already a lemon, and it’s unlikely the NBN Co Board will risk the public backlash it will receive, if it’s seen trying to shore up its weak bottom line at a time of national crisis.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133905/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mark-a-gregory-619">Mark A Gregory</a>, Associate professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/telcos-are-picking-up-where-the-nbn-is-failing-heres-what-it-means-for-you-133905">original article</a>.
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Telcos are picking up where the NBN is failing. Here’s what it means for you

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EXPERT OBSERVATION
Lack of speed kills: finally NBN Co is thinking about a genuinely 21st century offering for customers. 
Last week NBN Co <a href="https://www2.nbnco.com.au/corporate-information/media-centre/media-statements/nbn-co-proposes-big-discounts-to-wholesale-prices" target="_blank">announced pricing changes</a> for the National Broadband Network.
It includes a new plan boasting a download speed of 1 gigabit per second and an upload speed of 50 megabits per second for $80 a month.
These are 20-fold improvements on the maximum NBN speeds now. Almost a decade since the first customers were connected, NBN Co is thinking about a genuinely 21st century offering in terms of speed and price.
The NBN is late, over budget and slow. <a href="https://www.speedtest.net/global-index" target="_blank">Australia places 58th globally</a> for fixed-line broadband speed. Not only do the NBN’s advertised speeds lag international standards but the actual speeds often don’t come close to what is promised.
Customer interest as a result has been unenthusiastic. NBN Co may well need to take a massive write-down on its assets because they don’t look like they’re worth <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/nbn-write-down-inevitable-after-disastrous-rollout-says-ex-boss-20190204-p50vl7" target="_blank">A$50 billion</a>.
All of this was entirely predictable, based on politicians failing to remember three basic lessons from Economics 101.
1: Technology often outstrips imagination
The history of innovation is littered with examples of remarkably important things being invented with no clear purpose in mind, or by accident, and then exceeding our wildest expectations.
<a href="https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/news/print/endocrine-today/%7B15afd2a1-2084-4ca6-a4e6-7185f5c4cfb0%7D/penicillin-an-accidental-discovery-changed-the-course-of-medicine" target="_blank">Penicillin</a> and <a href="https://charlesgoodyear101.weebly.com/vulcanized-rubber" target="_blank">vulcanised rubber</a> (which led to the tyre for automobiles) were both invented by accident. The <a href="https://home.cern/science/computing/birth-web" target="_blank">world wide web</a> was developed as a means of communication among particle physicists. Most of us carry around in our pocket a computer (mobile phone) <a href="https://medium.com/@diego./cray-2-v-iphone-xs-fight-6f05b494efe1" target="_blank">roughly as powerful than the world’s faster supercomputer circa 1985</a>. Those have turned out to be pretty useful.
When the Coalition decided to scuttle Labor’s NBN plan for fibre-optic cable to every premises, on the basis that “fibre-to-the-node” and using existing copper telephone wires to the premises would be much cheaper, this is what the chief spruiker of the Coalition’s NBN plan, Malcolm Turnbull, <a href="https://www.arnnet.com.au/article/366036/turnbull_why_should_taxpayers_fund_43b_nbn_better_hd_video_streaming_/" target="_blank">said about broadband needs</a> in 2010:
"There isn’t much or anything you can do with 100 Mbps that you can’t do with 12 Mbps for residential customers."
The breathtaking lack of insight and imagination in this comment is responsible in no small part for the Flintstonian broadband infrastructure Australia now has.
Prioritising speed of roll-out (which hasn’t even happened) over speed of internet (which sure has happened) was a massive mistake.
2: Positives justify subsidies
You having fast internet is good for me when we connect. When consumers can connect quickly to a business’s website that’s good for the business. It makes it more profitable for businesses to invest in their internet operations. This has benefits for other consumers and even other businesses.
A great illustration of this is in Dunedin, New Zealand, where there have been all sorts of business-to-business spillovers from the city having the <a href="https://www.glimp.co.nz/blog/broadband/where-is-the-fastest-internet-in-nz" target="_blank">fastest internet speeds</a> in Australasia. The ABC’s <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/whats-wrong-with-the-nbn/9077900" target="_blank">Four Corners program</a> has highlighted how this has revolutionised New Zealand’s video-game development industry, among other things.
Economists call spillover effects to third parties externalities. Pollution is a negative externality, while the benefit of fast internet is a positive externality.
A sound business model for the NBN ought to recognise the positive externalities and ensure they are incorporated into the price mechanism, by offering a partial subsidy to encourage people to sign up. Like the reverse of a carbon price.
One of the NBN’s key problems is the way successive governments structured national investment in it. Setting up NBN Co as a quasi-corporate entity needing to make a commercial rate of return on the roughly A$50 billion investment in the network was a huge mistake. It was the opposite of providing a subsidy.
The telecommunications companies who retail the NBN have complained that NBN Co’s wholesale price points mean it is hard for resellers to make a profit. It’s a kind of quality death spiral: an unattractive product means fewer people buy it, leading to the product getting worse, leading to even fewer people buying it.
3: Uniform pricing doesn’t work
Finally, it’s never a good idea to charge everyone the same price when there are different costs to serve different people.
The idea was that higher returns from easy-to-service city homes would subsidise the higher costs of service homes in regional and remote areas. But city homes, precisely because they are cheaper to service, have other options. If not enough city customers signed up to the NBN, prices would be driven up, making the network even less attractive to city customers. It’s textbook <a href="https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/glossary/adverse-selection/" target="_blank">adverse selection</a>, just like in health-insurance markets.
The government tried to get around this by banning competition. But that’s never really possible, especially from technologies not yet invented. Like 5G. The 2010 business case assumed no more than 16% of households would go wireless. Oops.
As economic journalist <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/nbns-assumptions-just-dont-stack-up-20110628-1gp48" target="_blank">Peter Martin wrote</a> in 2011:
"NBN will never make a return on the cost of its capital or meet its customer targets if it faces competition. Its corporate plan says so, at point 1: 'The plan assumes effective regulatory protection to prevent opportunistic cherry picking […] the viability of the project is dependent upon this protection.'"
What to do from here
Multiple governments have bungled the NBN. But there is a way to salvage things – a bit.
Holding constant the technology (fibre-to-the-node), the best thing the government could do is write down its investment massively – ideally so low that it can flog NBN Co off to someone who can be subject to access regulation – ensuring, like other utilities, ownership of infrastructure doesn’t stymie competition – and make a modest rate of return.
Our super funds are always sticking up their hands for infrastructure investment. This would be a good one.
Ideally, though, the technology should be fixed. Fibre-to-the-premises was always going to be expensive, but it was also going to be fast, and as future-proof as we could get.
Lack of imagination and inability to think past 12 Mbps less than 10 years ago should not hold the nation back now.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/123750/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW.
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/vital-signs-nbns-new-price-plans-are-too-little-too-late-123750" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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rh-YsoTT2xMuQ

NBN’s new price plans are too little, too late: Richard Holden

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GUEST OBSERVATION
The NBN was touted as <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-nbn-how-a-national-infrastructure-dream-fell-short-77780" target="_blank">dream infrastructure</a>, and the Coalition says it is close to completing the <a href="https://www.mitchfifield.com/2019/04/nbn-marks-10-years-on-track-for-2020-completion/" target="_blank">A$50 billion national broadband network</a>.
But Australia recently slipped three spots to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/federal-election-2019/australia-drops-to-62nd-in-global-broadband-speed-rankings-20190428-p51hz2" target="_blank">place 62nd in global broadband rankings</a>, with our average download speed of 35.11 Mbps far below the global average of 57.91 Mbps.
Labor has ruled-out a large scale upgrade of the NBN if it wins the 2019 federal election, saying flaws in the NBN are due to “<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-23/what-happened-to-superfast-nbn/11037620?pfmredir=sm" target="_blank">six years of vandalism</a>” by the Coalition government.
In reality it’s hard to get an accurate picture on the balance of NBN technologies that are already in place in Australia. To get around this opacity, we used the “<a href="https://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/check-your-address" target="_blank">check your address</a>” tool on the NBN website as a way to collect data on the footprints of technologies currently or about to be in place in three Australian metropolitan cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The data suggests around half (40-60%) of homes in the three cities only have access to very old technology: hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC). For people in these residences, access to the so-called “fibre network” remains only a fairy tale.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/272670/original/file-20190506-103078-1ki8l6a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/272670/original/file-20190506-103078-1ki8l6a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Around 55% of homes have old NBN technology in Sydney. Green areas represents addresses with fibre technology (FTTX) and red areas represent addresses with older hybrid fibre-coaxial/satellite NBN (HFC/Sat). <a class="source" href="https://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/check-your-address" target="_blank">Tooran Alizadeh</a>, Author provided
Real data on the NBN
Lack of data transparency is a vexing aspect of the NBN. In our experience, <a href="https://www.nbnco.com.au/" target="_blank">NBN Co</a> does not disclose meaningful information on service footprints in a single, usable dataset. This makes it difficult to evaluate outcomes and perform policy analysis associated with the service.
Nevertheless, our latest research has collected some data we believe was undisclosed previously.
Over December 2018 to February 2019, we used the “<a href="https://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/check-your-address" target="_blank">check your address</a>” search function on the NBN Co website along with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308596118300363" target="_blank">basic data mining techniques</a> to extract data from a representative sample of all addresses across the three metropolitan regions of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
We uncovered footprints of mixed-technology NBN, including current or planned fibre to the premises (FTTP), fibre to the node (FTTN), fibre to the building (FTTB), fibre to the curb (FTTC), hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC), fixed wireless and satellite (Sky Muster).
Here we mainly focus on hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC), which is the oldest technology component of the NBN. HFC is the cable network you might have connected to in the past to get Foxtel subscription TV.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/272691/original/file-20190506-103053-1a3f2e9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/272691/original/file-20190506-103053-1a3f2e9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Around 42% of homes have old NBN technology in Melbourne. Green areas represents addresses with fibre technology (FTTX) and red areas represent addresses with older hybrid fibre-coaxial/satellite NBN (HFC/Sat). <a class="source" href="https://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/check-your-address" target="_blank">Tooran Alizadeh</a>, Author provided
Major cities rely on HFC
The three maps shown here represent the spatial presence of fibre infrastructure versus more inferior HFC/satellite NBN in three metropolitan regions of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane (In reality very few urban homes use satellite, as shown in bar graphs below).
The three maps suggest inferior NBN technology is in abundant use across all three metropolitan cities. 62% of all addresses in the greater Brisbane region, 42% of all addresses in Melbourne, and 55% of all addresses in Sydney are (or will soon be) connected to the NBN via HFC.
These figures are at odds with a recent claim by Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield that his government is rolling out “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/abcqanda/videos/418015455660247/?comment_id=10155958137691831&amp;comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D" target="_blank">a new network</a>” to the whole nation. For about half of the addresses in three major Australian metropolitan regions, the NBN “rollout” looks like a re-branding exercise using an old cable network.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/272692/original/file-20190506-103057-1k0iwn2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/272692/original/file-20190506-103057-1k0iwn2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Around 62% of homes have old NBN technology in Brisbane. Green areas represents addresses with fibre technology (FTTX) and red areas represent addresses with older hybrid fibre-coaxial/satellite NBN (HFC/Sat). <a class="source" href="https://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/check-your-address" target="_blank">Tooran Alizadeh</a>, Author provided
Socioeconomic patterns of the NBN
To look at socioeconomic patterns of the NBN rollout, we used the <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/2033.0.55.001" target="_blank">Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) socio-economic indexes for area (SEIFA)</a> and its index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD) from 2016. We then cross examined the SEIFA data (divided into ten ranked groups known as “deciles”) with the NBN data extracted via the data mining exercise (described above).
It’s clear in the graphs below that a mix of both old and new technologies are in play across the three metropolitan regions of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The analysis did not find any clear socioeconomic patterns comparing better-off SEIFA deciles of 8-10 versus worse-off deciles of 1-3. Nevertheless, the size of HFC adoption across the socioeconomic spectrum in all three major cities is quite concerning.
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<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/272949/original/file-20190507-103057-jeqzts.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/272947/original/file-20190507-103078-rngyi4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/272950/original/file-20190507-103063-3hwc3g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="">
Availabilities of different technologies across different socioeconomic deciles (1 = lowest socioeconomic status, 10 = highest) in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. NBN technologies are FTTP (fibre to the premises), FTTN (fibre to the node), FTTB (fibre to the building), FTTC (fibre to the curb) and the older HFC (hybrid fibre-coaxial) and Sat (satellite).
<hr>
The second most dominant technology in the three major cities is fibre to the curb (FTTC). This is a technology that <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-08/nbn-launches-fibre-to-the-curb-technology/9631262" target="_blank">was only added to the mix 12 months ago</a>, as a partial solution <a href="https://www.afr.com/technology/web/nbn/nbn-halts-hfc-rollout-effective-immediately-as-issues-mount-20171127-gztg2i" target="_blank">in response to the mounting issues related to the HFC network</a>.
If it was not for this late addition to the network, the NBN footprint may have had an even higher dominance of old HFC technology than currently. It’s also clear that the rate of FTTC adoption in greater Brisbane is well below that in Melbourne and Sydney.
An NBN upgrade is inevitable
Since the announcement of mixed-technology NBN, experts have <a href="https://delimiter.com.au/2015/11/30/budde-says-he-warned-turnbull-about-optus-hfc-cable-issue/" target="_blank">warned against</a> the serious shortcomings of the old HFC technology.
While these were mostly ignored initially, Bill Morrow (then CEO at NBN) later admitted that NBN speed was slowed by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/27/nbns-speed-slowed-by-reliance-on-copper-network-its-ceo-admits?CMP=share_btn_tw" target="_blank">reliance on copper network</a>. Supporting this, an analysis by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (<a href="https://www.acma.gov.au/" target="_blank">ACMA</a>) revealed that the average household on the HFC network was reporting between <a href="https://www.acma.gov.au/-/media/Consumer-Interests/Report/PDF/Migrating-to-the-NBN--The-consumer-experience--Key-findings-from-analy-pdf.pdf" target="_blank">2 to 3.6 times more faults than those on fibre, and making between 3 and 5 times more complaints</a>.
It’s also been reported that about <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/no-bells-or-whistles-labor-keeps-it-simple-with-its-nbn-plan-20190409-p51cce" target="_blank">40% of the NBN is fibre to the node (FTTN)</a> which has its own <a href="https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-reveals-fttn-premises-that-never-hit-25mbps-peak-speeds-516849" target="_blank">fair share of issues</a>.
Interestingly, there have already been some partial upgrades within NBN Co’s plans, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/no-bells-or-whistles-labor-keeps-it-simple-with-its-nbn-plan-20190409-p51cce" target="_blank">as FTTC reportedly accounts for about 12% of the national network</a>, to serve the areas that were previously assigned to receive HFC.
Having said this, Labor’s latest announcement seems to be focusing on what can be described as “improving consumer experience” <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/no-bells-or-whistles-labor-keeps-it-simple-with-its-nbn-plan-20190409-p51cce" target="_blank">without making any commitment for more fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), or at least more fibre</a>.
We argue that for Australia and Australian major cities to be competitive on the global platform, an NBN update is inevitable.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/115131/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Tooran Alizadeh, Senior Lecturer in Urbanism, Sydney Research Accelerator (SOAR) Fellow, University of Sydney
Edward Helderop, Postdoctoral researcher, Arizona State University
Tony Grubesic, Professor, Arizona State University
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/around-50-of-homes-in-sydney-melbourne-and-brisbane-have-the-oldest-nbn-technology-115131" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Around half of homes in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have the oldest NBN technology

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GUEST OBSERVATION
The national broadband network (<a href="https://www.nbnco.com.au/" target="_blank">NBN</a>) has been a major issue in federal election campaigns for close to a decade.
And the 2019 version of the NBN bears little resemblance to the futuristic, egalitarian earlier editions.
Despite years of controversy, cost over-runs, and delays, the coalition government says our <a href="http://mitchfifield.com/Media/MediaReleases/tabid/70/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1688/NBN-marks-10-years-On-track-for-2020-completion.aspx" target="_blank">$50 billion national network</a> is finally nearing completion.
But Labor’s Shadow Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has <a href="http://www.michellerowland.com.au/media_release_labor_s_plan_to_improve_the_nbn_9_april_2019" target="_blank">set out some different priorities</a> should her party achieve government in the coming election. One of these is a “digital inclusion drive”, aimed at improving access to the internet for older Australians and low-income households.
In addition, Labor is making no immediate commitment to <a href="http://www.michellerowland.com.au/speech_address_to_commsday_summit_labor_s_responsible_plan_to_improve_the_nbn_9_april_2019" target="_blank">replacing copper connections with fibre</a>.
Instead, if elected, it will fund service and reliability fixes for those on the copper NBN, and impose service guarantees for small businesses and consumers. It will examine what has happened to the economics of the network, looking at its cash flow, pricing, capital structure, and future options for network upgrades.
Labor’s policy will disappoint those hoping for a fast-tracked return to <a href="http://ministers.treasury.gov.au/DisplayDocs.aspx?doc=pressreleases/2009/036.htm&amp;pageID=003&amp;min=wms&amp;Year=&amp;DocType" target="_blank">that party’s original (2009) vision</a> of high-speed fibre for (almost) everyone. But its 2019 plan is an important acknowledgement that network infrastructure is only one part of the NBN story.
Affordability and digital inclusion
The Australian Digital Inclusion Index (<a href="https://digitalinclusionindex.org.au/" target="_blank">ADII</a>) provides data on the affordability of internet services for Australians since 2014. It shows that recent, modest improvements seen by some households have been matched by declines in affordability for a number of Australia’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/digital-inclusion-in-tasmania-has-improved-in-line-with-nbn-rollout-will-the-other-states-follow-102257" target="_blank">more digitally excluded groups</a>.
The results for low-income households, single parents, people outside the labour force, Indigenous Australians, and people with a disability remain poor.
The good news for Australian consumers is that the <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/publications/accc-telecommunications-report/accc-communications-market-report-2017-18" target="_blank">pricing of mobile services has improved</a>, reflecting competitive pressures and the reduced cost of delivery as a consequence of investment by network owners.
But when we look at fixed broadband services — the kinds of connections used by most households — recent price increases by NBN have led to a decline in the number of <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/speech/nbn-affordability-a-growing-issue" target="_blank">low-cost plans on the market</a>. This change post-dates the most recent ADII report (2018), and the effects are beginning to work their way into the market.
Communications costs matter
Communications services have a knock-on effect in many other areas of life and work.
Access to high-speed broadband can reduce <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/au/Documents/finance/deloitte-au-fas-benefits-highspeed-broadband-v2-240914.pdf" target="_blank">the costs of using other services considerably</a>. This makes critical activities like banking, seeking government information, looking for work, or studying much easier.
But when we speak of the cost savings linked with online services, we need also to bear in mind the flip-side of those savings: the much higher costs borne by those, often less well-off, citizens who must access services offline.
If an individual on a low income lacks electronic access to banking or government information, the cost of commuting to do these things in person can be prohibitive — and especially so for Australians living in <a href="https://www.communications.gov.au/publications/2018-regional-telecommunications-review-getting-it-right-out-there" target="_blank">remote or regional areas</a>.
For children at school and adults in education or training, a lack of access to the internet means many will <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://apo.org.au/node/221806" target="_blank">fall behind their peers</a>, as access to educational materials and online content becomes a core part of the modern education experience. This has implications for Australia’s ability to take advantage of the next wave of digital transformation.
Expensive for everyone
The costs of inequitable internet access are directly felt by many families, but the broader costs are borne by society.
And so digital exclusion now has the potential to be a drag on Australia’s economic growth and productive potential for decades to come.
For individuals, conducting activities offline may be time-consuming and expensive. But that’s also true for the government. It’s estimated that even taking half of government services online would <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/au/Documents/Economics/deloitte-au-economics-digital-government-transformation-230715.pdf" target="_blank">save around A$20 billion</a>.
Aside from the costs of lower productivity, economic growth and tax receipts, inequitable access means that the material savings from automated services may never be realised.
Affordable access to broadband also supports the cost effective delivery of core government and other services – such as <a href="https://www.who.int/goe/policies/countries/aus__support_tele.pdf" target="_blank">health</a> – to regional and remote locations.
Although addressing inequitable access will involve costs in the short term, effective policy measures to improve affordability are likely to generate considerable national benefits.
How to improve affordability
At this stage Labor is not saying what it might do to improve internet affordability for low-income households.
The idea of writing down the NBN has been <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/there-s-a-big-obstacle-to-an-nbn-write-down-and-it-s-in-the-billions-20190213-p50xhn" target="_blank">widely discussed</a>. It does, however, have serious implications: it will be very costly to taxpayers.
It will also limit the ability of the NBN to invest in future network upgrades and threaten the economics of uniform national pricing, the NBN’s key promise of equity for regional and remote Australia.
That could mean a return to the pre-NBN communications landscape, with regional and remote Australia relying on increasingly obsolete communications infrastructure while metropolitan Australia moves ahead.
A direct increase in cash payments is likely to improve living standards materially for those in poverty, but more money for low income households doesn’t necessarily mean that broadband will be within their reach.
The creation of a concession at a retail level would make the telecommunications companies responsible for selling products at a cheaper rate, which in an era of <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-14/telstra-profit-tumbles-as-nbn-continues-to-drain-revenue/10810552" target="_blank">reduced margins</a> appears unlikely to occur.
Also, a series of retail concessions can lead to consumer confusion, as the scope of each scheme and the discounts on offer vary wildly. We’ve seen these problems in the <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/publications/restoring-electricity-affordability-australias-competitive-advantage" target="_blank">energy sector</a>.
Another option is to create a wholesale concession, a measure that has been promoted by <a href="http://accan.org.au/no-australian-left-offline" target="_blank">consumer advocates</a>. This would involve the government paying NBN to put a wholesale product into the market that retailers could purchase and retail to low income households.
A nationally uniform concessional service would allow retailers to compete in offering affordable services to low-income households, boost NBN take-up and consequently its revenue and financial viability.
Focus on inclusion
While the introduction of a concessional arrangement would involve government picking up a part of the tab for service delivery, it offers sizeable benefits.
By ensuring NBN access for low-income households, the government avoids forgoing a large proportion of the savings that should accrued from the digital transformation of government services (and the benefits to be gained from improving services).
It would also prevent a lower take-up of NBN services and revenues. Without such an arrangement, questions will continue to be raised about the financial viability of NBN, its repayment of outstanding debt to government and whether there needs to be a write-down.
The take up of broadband has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/5k9bcwkg3hwf-en" target="_blank">historically seen improvements</a> in average household income, productivity, and the creation of new kinds of work and services.
In order to maximise the benefits of the current wave of digital change, we’ll need a broader public debate, that goes beyond the relative merits of fibre and 5G.
Policy will need to address the challenge of affordability, invest in digital literacy, and ensure that all Australians can access the services that they need.
While there are many improvements that can and should be made to our national network infrastructure, a focus on the larger problem of digital inclusion is both welcome, and overdue.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/115135/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Julian Thomas, Professor of Media and Communications; Director, Social Change Enabling Capability Platform, RMIT University
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/labor-will-prioritise-an-nbn-digital-inclusion-drive-heres-what-it-should-focus-on-115135" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Labor will prioritise an NBN ‘digital inclusion drive’ – here’s what it should focus on

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GUEST OBSERVATION
The National Broadband Network (NBN) should be built and fully operational by 2022, having cost about A$50 billion. The question will then be whether the government should retain the NBN or sell it off.
The current government has laid the groundwork for NBN to be broken up and sold off. But this could end the NBN’s positive disruption of the telecommunications market, which includes lower prices, increased competition, improved access for consumers and more services being offered.
In a recent paper I outlined four options for the NBN:
<ul>
<li>government retains the NBN</li>
<li>sell NBN as a single entity</li>
<li>disaggregate NBN technologies and sell them separately</li>
<li>disaggregate NBN technologies, excluding satellite and fixed wireless, and sell off separately.</li>
</ul>
Breaking up the NBN could result in the creation of geographic monopolies, hurting rural and regional consumers especially.
Telstra’s recent decision to hive off its infrastructure into separate companies gives Australia the opportunity to do what New Zealand has done: create a new, publicly listed company that contains the NBN and parts of Telstra’s infrastructure.
But there is a valid argument for the government to retain NBN Co. as a government enterprise beyond the NBN rollout.
The NBN has brought about an unprecedented period of positive change in the telecommunications market. But there is more to be done, including a further reduction in the digital divide between urban and regional and remote areas, and upgrading from fibre to the node to fibre to the curb or fibre to the premises.
By retaining ownership of the NBN for the next decade, the government could provide a stable level playing field upon which the telecommunications market can thrive.
For the major carriers, the focus over the next decade will be to build competing 5G networks. The sale of the NBN during this time could return the industry to the chaos that existed before the NBN.
Who would buy the NBN?
The first major concern for anyone buying part of the NBN is the A$15 per customer per month paid to Telstra for a majority of the fixed connections to the NBN.
This is a payment for the use of Telstra’s existing infrastructure, such as the ducts that run along streets and the telephone exchanges where NBN systems are now located.
This payment is a major impediment to the NBN having a successful business model. There is some doubt whether Optus, Vodafone or TPG would bid for part of the NBN knowing that they would be required to make a monthly payment to Telstra for most of the customers they connect.
Telecommunications networks are a “natural monopoly”, similar to roads, rail, gas and electricity. This is because of the high startup costs of building the networks, especially for the segments closest to homes and businesses (also known as the last mile).
In high-value urban areas it is possible to build financially viable infrastructure that competes with incumbents. But this does not solve the problem of competition in lower-value outer urban, regional and remote areas.
No solution to this problem has been forthcoming. This is one of the reasons the NBN came into being in the first place.
How do you break up the NBN?
Outside of the high-value urban areas there is no guarantee of infrastructure-based competition, so regulation is required to ensure broadband in those areas keeps up with what is offered in the high-value urban areas.
The government has already introduced a levy to subsidise the cost of providing broadband in regional and remote areas. But more needs to be done to ensure regional and remote telecommunications is improved continuously.
Breaking up the NBN will also likely result in smaller geographic monopolies, with different technologies used in each network – fixed wireless, satellite and transit etc.
So rather than have one infrastructure monopoly (NBN Co.) wholesaling products and services, we could end up with the bigger telcos becoming monopoly providers by purchasing one or more of the technology footprints.
Consumers, especially those in regional and remote areas, will likely be hit with steep price rises with the end of uniform national wholesale pricing.
The New Zealand option
Telstra has announced that it is creating a standalone company called InfraCo, that will be:
"accountable for our copper and HFC networks; all our fibre network that is not dedicated to supporting mobiles; all ducts, pits and pipes; property including exchange buildings and data centres; and international and domestic subsea cables. These assets will be combined with Telstra Wholesale and the teams in Telstra Operations that provide services to NBN Co."
This provides Telstra with the opportunity to participate in the future sale of the NBN. Telstra could spin off InfraCo as a separate ASX-listed company, take on infrastructure investors for a future purchase of the NBN, or part of the NBN, and effectively follow what happened in New Zealand with Telecom New Zealand becoming Spark (retail/mobile) and Chorus (wholesale).
If Telstra splits into two ASX-listed companies so that InfraCo can purchase the NBN, the result would be a company with about A$10 billion in revenue and A$30 billion in infrastructure assets. This would be a viable company that is able to service the government debt repayments while making a reasonable return to shareholders.
It is likely this outcome would be more palatable to the rest of the telecommunications industry because the positive disruption to the market caused by the NBN would continue.
If the NBN is sold off, the focus must shift to the telecommunications legislation and regulations, setting a minimum broadband connection speed and capacity that infrastructure wholesalers are to provide without penalty, and focusing on how to further reduce the digital divide between urban and regional and remote areas.
The key for a future government decision on what to do with the NBN is that it should not be considered in isolation. There are a number of linked issues, including the universal service obligation, universal access, foreign ownership restrictions and wholesale competition.
Mark A Gregory, Associate professor, RMIT University
This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-should-be-done-with-the-nbn-in-the-long-run-99294" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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