Residents will have access to faster broadband speeds than promised, following the announce-ment that the NBN’s fixed
wireless and satellite services are to be upgraded.
The National Broadband Network (NBN) will double broadband speeds from 12 megabits per second download/one megabit per second upload (12/1 Mbps) to 25 megabits per second download and five megabits per second upload (25/5 Mbps) via fixed wireless and long-term satellite services
“That’s great news for smaller communities such as Gloucester, Johns River, Wingham and Telegraph Point where getting any sort of broadband service just two years ago was near impossible or overtly expensive,” MP Rob Oakeshott said.
“The 25/5 Mbps service via fixed wireless and satellite will be charged at the same rate as the 25/5 Mbps fibre service currently being rolled out in Taree – about $40 a month.
“The technology is superior to the ageing copper network, which has reached capacity; the speed is faster than what is currently available through ADSL2+, and the price is comparable or cheaper than what is currently available.
“Fair and equitable access for country people to state-of-the art broadband services at city prices was a fundamental policy platform for me going into the 2010 election.
“That’s why it became a part of the post-election agreement with the Prime Minister, and now it is being delivered in our community.
“I’m excited about the education and business possibilities for the Mid-North
Coast that are attached to this technology, and I have no doubt we are about to see a revolution in the delivery of expertise, knowledge and diagnosis in regional and rural health.
“The 25/5 Mbps service will be delivered mid-year in those communities where wireless towers are being built.
“For rural properties and communities whose broadband service will be delivered via satellite, the service will be available
in 2015 from the start of operation of the
long-term satellite service,” Mr Oakeshott said.
More than 70 communities in the Lyne electorate have been included in NBN Co’s fixed wireless network.
Your NBN Q&A:
Why couldn’t NBN Co offer 25/5 in the first place?
Until recently, 25/5 was technically possible for premises located close to the wireless cells, but was not available to all premises in the cell.
Recent technology improvements in the wireless Network Term-ination Devices (the devices in the home) have increased the speeds that NBN Co can offer to all premises inside the coverage
area.
People who are further away from their base station can now use “high gain” equipment to attain 25/5.
Do existing Fixed Wireless customers need new equipment to access the higher speeds?
NBN Co estimates that about 10 per cent of those with an existing service will need new equipment.
These are the people who are further away from their base station and need “high gain” equipment.
This will mean both a new Network Terminating Device and a new antenna.
To achieve these higher speeds, is more power required/more EME emitted from the base station?
No.
NBN Co plans to use the same power levels at the base stations for the new speed as the current service.
The speed of the service is not directly related to EME.
The highest values of EME that would be emitted from the NBN
base stations that are currently planned are less than 1/100 of the Australian public exposure limits.
Does NBN Co need more base stations to achieve these speeds?
No.
New high-gain anten-nae on the premises are designed to make it possible for homes and businesses in the outer parts of a wireless coverage area to receive the 25/5 service from existing base stations.
How does the fixed wireless service compare to ADSL 2+ in terms of speeds and capacity?
ADSL 2+ provides a maximum theoretical speed of 24 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream, but the speed
experienced varies widely, depending on your distance from the exchange. Actual speeds are
always much less.
The NBN Co Fixed Wireless service is provisioned for a specific number of premises.
It is designed to provide up to 25 Mbps on the downlink and 5 Mbps on the uplink at the wholesale level wherever the service is installed.
This means that customers will actually be able to achieve these speeds.
What does 25/5 make possible that would be difficult or not possible on 12/1?
Over a 25/5 mbps service, high definition video conferencing will
have increased quality. Video conferencing will be specifically improved, due to the 5 Mbps uplink capability.
