NBN Co caps fibre upgrade trial numbers to a maximum of 525 premises

NBN Co has substantially revised down the number of premises that will actually participate in its full fibre upgrade trials from now through mid-March, clarifying that the number is capped at 525.

Earlier this week, the company told iTnews that it would take as many as 6000 orders for upgrades from fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) to fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) this month, growing to up to 25,000 by mid-March 2022.

It also said that the total number of triallists with full fibre lead-ins and connections would depend on the number of orders placed by retailers.

The company had previously said in August that up to 10,000 FTTN premises would be involved in the trial.

But a test agreement released by NBN Co yesterday cast substantial doubt over those figures.

“NBN Co presently expects that the maximum aggregate number of test orders that will be available under this test that must be shared by all participating retail service providers will be 500 for the FTTN Network and 25 for the FTTC [fibre-to-the-curb] network,” the test agreement states. [pdf]

An NBN Co spokesperson on Wednesday morning confirmed to iTnews the test agreement figures are correct; that is, a maximum of 525 premises will be selected and connected to fibre under the trial.

The 6000 and 25,000 premises numbers were redefined as “pools of eligible premises” from which the maximum of 525 premises would be chosen.

The test agreement also provided unusual detail in the form of the FTTN and FTTC areas where full fibre connections are to be trialled.

From Tuesday this week, FTTN premises in Castle Hill in Sydney’s north-west and from Golden Grove, Osborne and Salisbury in South Australia are eligible to apply for a trial upgrade.

At the end of January, FTTN premises in Lyndhurst (Victoria), Holsworthy and Liverpool (NSW) and Elizabeth (SA) will become eligible, followed then by premises in Berwick South (Victoria), Croydon and Gepps Cross (SA), and Cannington and Ghiraween (WA).

FTTC areas to be included in the full fibre upgrade are Revesby, Sydney Springwood and Kogarah (all NSW), Elizabeth and Croydon (both SA), and Seaford and Coburg (both Victoria).