More than half a million Australian households moved to faster NBN plans in the first quarter of this year says the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The ACCC’s latest Wholesale Market Indicators Report released last week indicates more than two-thirds of all NBN connections are now on plans 50Mbps or above, and around 17 per cent of customers are using 100Mbps or faster.
Showing there is a significant and growing desire for really high speed in Australia, the number of users on 250Mbps jumped from 11,136 in December in last year to close to 490,000 in March this year. And even that isn't enough for some, with those on 500-1000 Mbps growing from 9,924 to almost 83,000 in the same period.
However, the ACCC cautions that many Australians don't have a need for such breakneck speeds and will be adequately serviced running multiple devices on plans 50Mbps or below.
Here's how much things have changed just in four years. Back in 2017, 83.8% of NBN users were on "low speed" plans - those 25Mbps or slower. Today, just 29.4% are.
Nearly 8.3 million broadband services are now connected to the NBN according to the ACCC. But it isn't the only high-speed broadband show in town.
There are a number of non-NBN providers (including Lightning Broadband) that have been able to not only establish but thrive; serving Australian households and businesses that don't wish to connect to the NBN for whatever reason.
NBN Booking System Shamozzle
On a related note, it seems NBN Co has been copping a fair bit of backlash recently over delays to repairs and installations caused by its new booking system. A note on the company's web site speaks of "unexpected challenges", and that it may take longer than usual to get an installation appointment or have a service fault fixed - and this is regardless of the NBN provider.
While its team may be working around the clock to get things sorted and the company is required to pay compensation for missed and cancelled appointments, that will be cold comfort to those experiencing problems who need solid connectivity right now.
As well as customers venting frustration, telco partners have also expressed their disappointment with the situation that has been going on for some weeks.
Earlier this month, a bunch of NBN technicians held a protest outside the Comms Day Summit in Sydney as part of ongoing industrial action over pay rate cuts and booking/scheduling system issues - among other things. Further action hasn't been ruled out.
