NBN Co expects over half 1,000,000 fibre upgraders a yr from FY27 - Telco/ISP

NBN Co is anticipating over half 1,000,000 premises per yr to improve to full fibre connections from FY27, a 66 p.c improve on the current run charge.

NBN Co expects over half a million fibre upgraders a year from FY27

The expectations are a part of a draft set of expectations for the primary a part of the “subsequent regulatory interval” underneath its particular entry endeavor (SAU), released yesterday [pdf].

That interval runs from FY27 to FY29.

NBN Co shall be nicely and actually completed with the overbuild of parts of its fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) and fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) footprint with a full-fibre community.

Nonetheless, it is going to be hoping to make use of the interval to extend the variety of clients inside upgraded areas that really convert to fibre, reasonably than sticking with their present FTTN or FTTC service.

In FY24 – the monetary yr simply gone – NBN Co managed 285,000 upgrades.

The regulatory doc suggests the corporate is anticipating “round 300,000” upgrades per yr for the interval from FY24 to FY26.

However it’s hoping to construct “to over 500,000 each year. for the interval FY27 to FY29” – a large improve of customers on full fibre, in addition to a large improve within the variety of fibre lead-ins it must construct.

“Though the improve of the community serving 3.5 million FTTN premises is anticipated to be full by December 2025, the work to attach particular person premises to the FTTP community (each in that footprint and for the additional 1.5 million premises within the FTTC footprint) will proceed for some years,” NBN Co mentioned.

It’s budgeting about $2.2 billion in capital expenditure between FY27 and FY29 for “the set up of fibre lead-ins and related buyer connection actions as a part of the FTTN to FTTP and FTTC to FTTP improve packages.”

It pledged to “undertake additional session on this throughout February 2025.”

A stacked bar chart reveals it’s desiring to spend a bit lower than $1.5 billion between FY24 and FY26 on full-fibre conversions.

Trade is at the moment invited to supply enter on the draft plan, which must be finalised for submission to the ACCC by mid-2025.