You have heard, without a doubt, about the the work-in-progress that is the National Broadband Network (NBN) in Australia, which aims to provide a fast broadband network for homes and businesses, replacing the existing copper cable telephony network that is fast approaching its expiration date. The NBN prides itself on being faster, more reliable, and accessible to the majority of Australian households. They have no charges for installation (except for a small number of users, who will have to pay a New Development fee) or for changing plans and also offer dynamic IP addresses and infinite data.
If you are interested in NBN plans you will definitely want to understand the different types of internet connections. While the type of connection usually depends on what’s being rolled out in your area or building, it’s still useful to know about the different types of connections and their particularities:
Contents
1. Fibre to Curb (FTTC)
Intended for launch in 2018, this type of connection will use fibre optic cabling from the exchange to the telecom pit outside the property, and a smaller amount of copper cabling between the telecom pit and property. It is believed that this type of connection will make the NBN connection a lot quicker, less complex and cheaper.
2. Fibre to Premises/Home (FTTP/H)
This is a fixed line type of connection, where the fibre optic line is run from the nearest available fibre node, directly to your premises. It is called the Rolls Royce of internet connection. The difference between this one and other NBN connection lies in the fact that fibre optic cables run all the way from the NBN right up to your door, rather than through the use of inferior options, like old copper phone lines. This will make any Internet connection faster and more reliable.
3. Fixed Wireless Connection
In some situations, especially in remote locations, it would be impractical or too expensive to physically connect a property to the fibre-optic network. In such cases, customers will be connected to a fixed wireless network, called Fixed Wireless NBN connection. For this type of connection, there is a need to install a local tower in the area which will be connected to the NBN™ with fibre optic cables. Properties will connect to the tower with special external antennas. This type of connection won’t support a standalone VoIP home phone service.
4. Fibre to the Node (FTTN)
In the middle of NBN rollout, a change in Government leadership led to some funding constraints, which contributed to a different approach towards realizing NBN connections. The approach mixes new fibre optic cable with existing copper wiring. It is expected that FTTN will make up a pretty big part of NBN and will cover 50% of Australian households.
As you can see, when it comes to NBN internet connections, there are a variety of types and each one of them has its own strengths depending on the situation. Make sure to check which one of them is being rolled-out in your neighborhood and if you get to choose, choose the one that fits your needs the most.