NBN Rollout Map Screenshot

NBN Co adds remediation to rollout map

In a website update late Wednesday night, NBN Co has added FSAMs (Fibre Serving Area Modules) that are undergoing Telstra remediation to their rollout map — marking them as having commenced “Build preparation”. A full list of FSAMs added to the remediation stage can be found at the end of this post.

In a typical NBN Co brownfields fibre-to-the-premies (FTTP) rollout, NBN Co releases areas for Telstra to replace pits and ducts (remediation) before sending their own construction partners into the area to build and rollout the fibre.

NBN Co has previously indicated that it was their intention to improve the rollout map to make it more relevant and accurate to end users. This addition comes after NBN Co removed around two-thirds of the areas listed as “Construction commenced” after the change in Government, replacing it instead with a build commenced metric. This new “Build preparation” provide more clarity to Australians who may have previously witnessed “NBN work” in their area yet the NBN Co rollout map had not been updated to reflect that.

NBN Co also recently changed their premises passed metric in an attempt to make it more relevant and accurate to consumers and retail service providers.

NBN Rollout Map Screenshot
NBN Rollout in the Penrith FSA, now showing 2PTH-08 in remediation

Brownfields Fibre (Remediation)

(NBS) denotes an FSAM “never before seen” on the construction maps. i.e. not part of those that were removed from the Construction Commenced map in Nov 2013.

  • (NBS) 2BLK-11 — (Marayong, Blacktown)
  • (NBS) 2WLG-07 — (North Wollongong, West Wollongong, Wollongong, Gwy)
  • (NBS) 2WLG-08 — (Wollongong)
  • (NBS) 3SHP-07 — (Mooroopna)
  • (NBS) 4APL-10 — (Taigum, Zillmere, Boondall)
  • (NBS) 4KLG-08 — (Murrumba Downs, Kallangur)
  • (NBS) 4TOB-11 — (Middle Ridge)
  • 2CAM-02 — (Canterbury, Campsie)
  • 2CBT-01 — (Campbelltown, Bradbury)
  • 2COR-05 — (Woonona, Russell Vale)
  • 2COR-06 — (Corrimal, Russell Vale, Bellambi)
  • 2COR-07 — (Tarrawanna, Corrimal)
  • 2DAP-01 — (Kembla Grange, Wongawilli, Horsley)
  • 2DAP-05 — (Marshall Mount, Penrose, Dapto)
  • 2DAP-06 — (Horsley)
  • 2LID-08 — (Auburn)
  • 2LJT-05 — (Bateau Bay)
  • 2LJT-06 — (Bateau Bay)
  • 2LJT-08 — (Long Jetty, Toowoon Bay, Blue Bay)
  • 2MAI-11 — (Raworth, Tenambit, Morpeth)
  • 2MYF-01 — (Mayfield)
  • 2NWR-02 — (Nowra)
  • 2NWR-03 — (Nowra Hill, South Nowra, West Nowra, Nowra)
  • 2PTH-08 — (Werrington Downs, Cambridge Park)
  • 2TEE-05 — (Taree)
  • 2WLG-02 — (Wollongong)
  • 2WLG-03 — (Mangerton, Mount Saint Thomas, Coniston)
  • 2WLG-04 — (West Wollongong, Mangerton)
  • 2WLG-05 — (West Wollongong, Mount Keira)
  • 3BAC-05 — (Darley)
  • 3CBN-05 — (Cranbourne)
  • 3CTN-06 — (Melbourne)
  • 3FSR-06 — (Seddon, Yarraville, Kingsville)
  • 3FSR-08 — (West Footscray, Tottenham)
  • 3KAL-01 — (Langwarrin)
  • 4AAR-02 — (Calamvale)
  • 4AAR-06 — (Calamvale, Algester)
  • 4APL-05 — (Carseldine, Bridgeman Downs)
  • 4APL-06 — (Carseldine)
  • 4APL-07 — (Fitzgibbon)
  • 4APL-08 — (Boondall)
  • 4APL-09 — (Taigum, Boondall)
  • 4BDB-03 — (New Chum, Riverview, Dinmore)
  • 4BDB-04 — (New Chum, Redbank, Collingwood Park)
  • 4CAI-06 — (Manunda, Cairns North)
  • 4GDN-07 — (Bellbird Park, Augustine Heights)
  • 4GDN-08 — (Carole Park, Ellen Grove, Gailes, Wacol, Camira)
  • 4GUL-07 — (Kirwan, Thuringowa Central, Cranbrook)
  • 4IPS-08 — (Yamanto, Churchill)
  • 4NDG-05 — (Wavell Heights, Nundah)
  • 4TNS-07 — (Hyde Park, Pimlico, Hermit Park)
  • 5MOD-05 — (Para Hills, Ingle Farm)
  • 5PRO-02 — (Prospect, Dudley Park)
  • 5PRO-04 — (Collinswood, Enfield, Nailsworth, Sefton Park, Bro)
  • 5PRO-05 — (Medindie Gardens, Nailsworth, Vale Park, Walkervil)
  • 5PRO-06 — (Medindie, Medindie Gardens, Walkerville, Gilberton)
  • 5PTE-01 — (Victor Harbor)
  • 5PTE-02 — (Hindmarsh Valley, McCracken, Hayborough)
  • 5SBY-01 — (Strathalbyn)
  • 5SFD-03 — (Old Noarlunga, Noarlunga Downs)
  • 6APP-01 — (Mount Pleasant, Applecross)
  • 6APP-03 — (Mount Pleasant, Ardross)
  • 6GLT-05 — (Spalding, Bluff Point)
  • 6PNJ-01 — (Pinjarra)
  • 6PNJ-02 — (Ravenswood)
  • 6SPT-01 — (South Perth)
  • 6SPT-04 — (South Perth, Como)
  • 6VIC-04 — (Rivervale, Burswood)
  • 7HOB-07 — (New Town, North Hobart, Mount Stuart)
  • 9QBN-04 — (Queanbeyan East, The Ridgeway, Greenleigh)
  • 9QBN-06 — (Oaks Estate, Crestwood)

 

Senator Conroy SSCNBN

NBN Co changes the premises passed metric

Metric is now more conservative and relevant to service providers

During a Senate Budget Estimates hearing last night, NBN Co revealed that changes were made with respect to the way “premises passed” was defined in the weekly rollout statistics. NBN spokesperson, Andrew Sholl, said off the record yesterday on Twitter that these changes started in April this year and gives a clearer and more relevant weekly figure.

Traditionally, two metrics were used by NBN Co to describe the status of construction of their network — one being Ready for Service and Premises Passed. In the previous metric of “Premises Passed”, premises were considered to be passed once network testing was completed the Local Network servicing a particular cluster of premises. However, only once 90% of the premises are passed by NBN Co’s old metric is an FSAM declared “Ready for Service” and an order may be ordered.

A recent change to the metric has altered the way NBN Co reports the “Premises Passed” metric in it’s weekly rollout statistics. Rather than accounting premises as being “passed” when testing for the Local Network is completed, NBN Co will only account those premises as being “passed” when the local network servicing 90% of the premises in that particular rollout region is built and tested.

This changed metric provides a more conservative and potentially, more relevant metric for consumers and service providers. However, it also means that NBN Co’s weekly run-rate will become more angular as premises will be added in mass, rather than the progressive additions previously seen.

Talking with service providers, it appears that premises considered passed by not yet Ready for Service under previous metrics have remained classified as “passed”. Only new premises being added to the network are affected by this change of metric.

Inside an NBN node at Umina Beach

NBN: Details of FTTN pilot emerge

Earlier today, NBN Co released the test agreement details for its Fibre to the Node pilot in Umina Beach, NSW and Epping, VIC. After initial delays with negotiation trial access to the copper with Telstra, NBN Co is set to commence the customer trials on or around 1st June 2014.

NBN Co will be conducting main deployment trials, one using a spare copper pair (known as the “Second Line Pilot”) as well as a selected “Single Line Pilot” which will use the existing copper phone line to the home. In a Single Line Pilot, traditional voice services will continue to be delivered from the exchange with the use of a combiner to “inject” VDSL signals into the existing line.

Unlike NBN Co’s FTTN discussion paper as reported by CommsDay, NBN Co will be responsible for a free installation process of both pilots where the new copper pair is terminated a new wall plate for “Second Line Pilot Premises”, or where a splitter is installed for the purposes of a “Single Line Pilot Premises”.

Similar to the FTTB trial, the Retail Service Provider or the end user will provide their own ADSL or NBN Co-approved VDSL modem to connect to the NBN Co FTTN Test Network. During NBN Co’s own shop-front tests in March, it was revealed that a Netcomm NF4V modem router was used.

NBN Co expects these trials to conclude 30th September 2014.

Infographic: Design Contracts between Sep 2013 and Mar 2014

NBN: FTTP workflow resumes in mainland states

Updated: (14/05/2014) Further clarification plus link to FOI request + Q&A section at the bottom

In response to a recent Freedom of Information request, NBN Co reveals that an additional 81 FSAMs were added to the “pipeline” between the start of September 2013 till the end of March 2014 to begin the detailed design phase of the network.

The “detailed design” phase was previously marked with “Construction Commenced” on the NBN Co map. It indicates the first contract instruction issued to NBN Co’s delivery partners to commence the detailed design and conduct network proving exercises including roping and rodding and preliminary clearing of ducts using “vac-trucks”.

These FSAMs are in addition to the areas previously classed as “Construction Commenced” on the NBN Co rollout map prior to the election and may have come from the old 1 year rollout plan.

Construction Commencement Date: The date that NBN Co expects to baseline the map contained in the Network Design Document. Construction Commenced means that NBN Co has issued contract instruction to its construction partners, so they can commence work on the detailed design, field inspections and rodding / roping activities in an area. It signals the commencement of rollout engagement with communities and councils.

All states and territories in mainland Australia receives at least one of these contract instructions, but Tasmania misses out, due to the unresolved contract disputes with Visionstream. However, it is great to see that 19 FSAMs were issued in Western Australia and South Australia each, adding to the backlog of FSAMs that never passed design phase under Syntheo’s contracts.

Following on from this detailed design phase, once the final design is approved and handed back to NBN Co, they will issue remediation notices to Telstra to fix any pits and ducts that may need to be replaced. NBN Co then issues build instructions to their delivery partners to begin network construction. It is uncertain at this stage how long NBN Co anticipates the detailed design phase will take.

The precise location of these new FSAMs is also not yet known.

Infographic: Design Contracts between Sep 2013 and Mar 2014
Infographic: Design Contracts between Sep 2013 and Mar 2014

Q&A

Q: Are these FSAMs the same ones as those that were removed from the NBN Co rollout map?
A: No. These FSAMs are in addition to the “orange” shades removed after the election. It is highly probable that these areas came from the 1 year rollout map. Those areas previously shaded in orange and since removed should see build commence in due course, where NBN Co has determined it is “economically viable” to build in that area.

Q: Are these brownfields?
A: Yes, all these FSAMs are brownfields.

Q: Do we know the actual location / FSAM identifier?
A: No. That was not part of the scope of the FOI request. Requesting specific information like that would have resulted in high processing charges for the request.

Q: How long does it take for this batch of FSAM to reach build stage?
A: NBN Co has redacted average statistics for the design phase in the Strategic Review. At this point in time, this figure is uncertain.

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments. I’ll try and answer and collate here.