NBN’s retrofit scramble confirms flawed copper legacy
Paul Budde has become a masterclass on how to make Australia’s NBN presentation wide band – and now says the bill is coming.
For more than ten years, the release of Australia’s national wide band network (Nbn) in political reconciliation and technical regression, especially through the adoption of Nodu to-node ((Fttnas the cornerstone of the revised NBN strategy of the coalition government at the time.
Latest NBN Annual Service Development Plan FY26It was released on July 24, 2025, and now confirmed that most of us have been warned from the very beginning: the FTTN model did not only perform low performance, but also resulted in important cost -effectiveness, preventive reproduction and systemic inefficiency.
Fttn: an expensive deviation in the way of fiber
According to the latest figures of NBN CO, 806,000 facilities were connected to the full fiberan (FTTPAt the end of FY25, with more than 4.6 million facilities, now FTTN or Fiber-to-to-to-to-to-to-to-to-to-to-to-to-to-to-toFTTC). Nevertheless, the most descriptive is that more than 110,000 FTTN connections, which are considered “problematic ,, are raised to the fibera under fault -based programs. These connections, often struggling with unbalanced speeds and service deterioration, are now being replaced by what can be defined as a repair work financed by the taxpayer.
Worse, NBN CO continued to connect approximately 60,000 new FTTN service per month to the end of 2024 in the fiber. This amazing figure means many customers living in areas already spent by fiber, and it has been built in the old copper infrastructure, and now FTTP will require a second, unnecessary migration. NBN CO accepts this ‘Almost newly connected FTTN/C/B customers will have to establish a second connection’.
This is an example of a textbook of sunken cost and operational wastes, households have been effectively made to endure a cycle of degradation, and evil to protect previous investments in the wrong technology.
Kidnapped opportunities and rejected reforms
Retail Service providers (RSPs), which are interested in consumers who are disappointed on the front, regularly NBN CO called Introducing a fiber fiber policy in upgraded areas to fiber and stopping copper connections. They also requested a discount for customers on low -performance FTTN lines. Each of these proposals was rejected.
Instead, NBN CO doubled in the process “Spare module“A complete copper output plan is not possible yet consultations. Meanwhile, the cost of inactivity is increasing. As is warned in the applications of RSPs, the status quo, the status quo guarantees more waste: Almost all [FTTN] Customers will have to go through a second connection event. ‘
The fact that NBN refuses to offer compensation or differentiated pricing for low -speed copper users also emphasizes a wider essence problem. Although FTTN users receive much lower service, they continue to pay the same as FTTP or HFC.
A pivot delayed for a fiber -based future
Despite these wrong steps, NBN CO’s latest plan summarizes important investments to correct future important investments. The company aims to build 3.5 million original FTTN facilities and 1.5 million FTTC facilities for FTTP until the end of 2025, and 95 percent of the remaining 622,000 FTTN connections are expected to be suitable until 2030.
NBN also, Great speed up With FTTP and HFC services, the campaign is to support up to 2GBPS in the lower flow. The new generation FTTP Network Termination Devices (NTDS) are offered by using recycled materials and reducing energy usage. These changes are accepted, but a central question raises the agenda: why not this plan from the beginning?
If the original FTTP strategy had not released politically in 2013, the country may be enjoying a universal high -speed network without entering the major strengthening costs we have faced.
HFC and FTTB: Need behind
In HFC and Fiber To-Bina, more evidence of unequal results can be seen (FTTBcries. The 1,000 HFC segment has been increased in 25 financial years, while 1,000 more planned for 26 financial years, while accompanying the FTTP is difficult. RSPs called for equality of assurance and performance in these access technologies, but NBN CO partially adopted these suggestions again.
In FTTB, progress (mostly involving multiple living units) is worse. The estimated 700,000 to 800,000 facilities were marked only as 3,968 fibers at the end of 2024. A complete way to upgrade is still not visible and leaves many apartment residents in the inheritance infrastructure with limited options.
A system caught in their own contradictions
The FY26 plan is full of modernization language-AI error detection, remote diagnosis, life cycle investments-However, a disturbing fact underlying this forward-looking coating lies: it has been spent to strengthen billions of dollars and then strengthen the wrong technology. The network must now be rebuilt from the inside out.
In addition to the delayed fiber presentation for MDUs, refusing to implement discreet measures such as fiber first connections and discount plans reflects a deep structural contradiction: NBN CO tries to move forward while carrying the political baggage of its past.
Conclusion: A case study on policy failure
This final service development plan should not be read as the victory of network engineering. In many respects, a silent acceptance that the pivot, which has been politically motivated to FTTN, is a historical false step, continues to cost Australians to cost both public funds and digital opportunity.
The real tragedy is not only billions of wasted, but also in the lost years, Australia can manage the region in large band performance, digital innovation and fair access. Instead, we are now playing with our own wishes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdrkfjozova
Paul Budde is an IA columnist and general manager for independent telecommunications research and consultancy, Paul Budde Consulting. You can follow Paul on Twitter @Paulbudde.
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