The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said broadband speed performance during peak-demand hours from 7-11 pm has shown significant improvement for users subscribed to NBN’s Home Ultrafast 1000 Mbps services. This enhancement follows the removal of capacity-based charging under NBN Co’s new wholesale pricing structure.
NBN Home Ultrafast services in Australia demonstrated average hourly download speeds ranging from 818 to 851 Mbps throughout the day according to the latest report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), covering December 2023. This marks a noticeable increase compared to the speeds reported in September 2023, which ranged from 686 to 851 Mbps. Interestingly, in both reports, the minimum hourly speed was observed at 8 pm.
Moreover, the download performance during busy hours on NBN 100 Mbps and 250 Mbps fixed-line plans exhibited marginal improvements compared to the previous Measuring Broadband Australia report by the ACCC.
Anna Brakey, Commissioner at the ACCC, highlighted the impact of the new pricing structure, stating, “Under NBN Co’s old wholesale pricing regime, very high-speed services faced more constraints during the busy hours compared to the lower speed fixed-line plans.”
“With capacity-based charging on 100 Mbps and above plans eliminated, we observed faster download speeds on those plans during the busy hours as broadband providers no longer have to purchase sufficient capacity to meet peak demand,” Anna Brakey said in the ACCC report.
The report noted that in December 2023, the average download speed for NBN fixed-line connections across all speed tiers reached 99.3 percent of the connection’s maximum plan speed, a record high for the program. Additionally, average NBN fixed-line upload speeds were recorded as the highest ever by the Measuring Broadband Australia program, reaching 87.8 percent of the maximum plan speeds during busy hours.
However, the report highlighted concerns regarding consumers on fibre to the node connections experiencing underperformance on NBN 100 Mbps plans in Australia. Underperforming services are those that rarely achieve their maximum plan speed.
In a bid to address these concerns, consumers experiencing such issues can inquire with their retailer about options for upgrading to a fibre connection without committing to a higher priced plan, ACCC said.
Furthermore, the report shed light on the performance of NBN fixed wireless connections, indicating an increase in average download speeds during busy hours to 97.9 percent of plan speed in December 2023, compared to 89.5 percent in the previous report. Similarly, average upload speeds during busy hours showed improvement, reaching 68.1 percent of plan speed.
The report also marked the inclusion of broadband provider Leaptel for the first time, showing its average download performance during busy hours as 98.4 percent of its maximum plan speeds in December 2023.
Anna Brakey expressed her approval of the inclusion of additional retailers and emerging broadband technologies in the monitoring program, stating, “The inclusion of additional retailers and emerging broadband technologies in our monitoring program is very welcome, as it better reflects the growing range of broadband offerings in the market.”
Looking ahead, the ACCC is considering including satellite services such as NBN SkyMuster and Starlink in the Measuring Broadband Australia program. Consumers interested in contributing can volunteer via the Measuring Broadband Australia website.
The Measuring Broadband Australia program aims to provide transparency in broadband speeds, comparing actual performance against maximum speeds, with data provided by UK-based firm SamKnows using established speed testing methodologies.
TelecomLead.com News Desk
