Australians that have a fibre to the premises broadband connection experience less outages than any other NBN connection type, the ACCC’s latest Measuring Broadband Australia report has found.
The latest report compares the performance of each of the NBN fixed-line technologies for outage frequency, latency and packet loss.
The report found that Australians with fibre to the node (FTTN) and Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) connections are more likely to experience frequent outages compared to those on fibre to the premises (FTTP) connections.
During the testing, FTTN connections accounted for almost half (48 per cent) of the services that experienced an outage on most days, despite representing 34 per cent of all NBN fixed-line connections in the Measuring Broadband Australia program. By comparison, FTTP connections, which represent 36 per cent of the connections in the program, accounted for only 12 per cent of services that experienced an outage on most days.
“While all NBN fixed-line connection types experience some outages, there is a noticeable increase in the frequency of these outages if you have a FTTN or HFC connection,” ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said.
“If a consumer is experiencing frequent outages, we encourage them to contact their broadband provider for assistance. They may be able to access a fibre to the premises upgrade at their address or obtain a mobile backup to provide service continuity during outages.”
Figure 1. Distribution of NBN fixed-line access technologies per outage frequency
In addition to outages, a consumer’s broadband connection quality is also impacted by latency and packet loss.
Latency refers to the time it takes to send data from a user’s device to a server and back. Packet loss is when a user does not receive all the data that they requested when using online applications.
Higher latency means there are delays in sending and receiving data. Both high latency and high packet loss can cause significant disruptions to a consumers experience when using online applications.
The report found that the average latency for NBN fixed-line connections was 10.7 milliseconds and the average packet loss was 0.16 per cent, neither of which is likely to disrupt a consumer’s experience when using common online applications.
Compared to other NBN connection types, FTTP connections recorded the lowest average latency and packet loss with less variation between results across different households. This suggests that FTTP connections are more capable of delivering a reliable experience for consumers when using online applications that require very low latency or packet loss.
Figure 2. Average latency per NBN fixed-line access technology
Figure 3. Average packet loss per NBN fixed-line access technology
Consumers continue to receive close to advertised download speeds
Broadband retailers continued to deliver download speeds to consumers close to their maximum plan speeds during March 2024.
This report was the first in the Measuring Broadband Australia program’s history where Telstra recorded the highest average download speed during the busy hours (7-11pm) of the retail service providers featured. NBN fixed-line connections on the Telstra network recorded an average busy hour download speed of 102.3 per cent of plan speed.
The average busy download speed across all retail service providers on NBN fixed-line connections was 99.8 per cent of plan speed, compared to 99.3 per cent last quarter.
Underperforming services represented 4.1 per cent of the NBN fixed-line services tested in this report, the lowest figure in the program’s history. The number of underperforming services with a FTTN connection remains higher than other connection types.
“We will continue to monitor underperforming services as they can have a big impact on consumers who rightly expect to receive the speeds they are paying for,” Ms Brakey said.
Background
The ACCC welcomes the inclusion of additional retail service providers and emerging broadband technologies to reflect the increasing broadband offerings in the market.
The ACCC is currently examining whether the performance of satellite services, such as those provided over NBN SkyMuster and Starlink, could be monitored as part of the Measuring Broadband Australia program. Consumers who use satellite services can sign up to volunteer via the Measuring Broadband Australia website.
Data for Measuring Broadband Australia is provided by UK-based firm SamKnows using methodology based on speed testing programs delivered in the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand.
To sign up, visit Measuring Broadband Australia