iiNet has boasted it now has more customers connected to its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network than NBN Co has connected to the National Broadband Network (NBN).
The ISP has 8000 customers on its FTTH TransAct network, Internode network and wholesale services, with its FTTH network capable of the NBN speeds of 12/1Mbps, 25/5Mbps, 50/20Mbps and 100/40Mbps.
It also has 2700 customers on the NBN.
“When it comes to FTTH, we’re using every opportunity to connect as many Australians as we can…” Michael Malone, chief executive officer at iiNet, said in a statement.
“As well as delivering super-fast broadband to more people than are connected to FTTH through the NBN, we’re now the largest provider of FTTH services in the country."
iiNet recently launched high-speed broadband on the TransAct hybrid-fibre coaxial (HFC) network, which achieves speeds of up to 100/8Mbps.
Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy told the Senate yesterday there were just 7000 fibre connections on the NBN.
This is an increase of 600 from 17 October this year, when Conroy told a Senate Estimates hearing just 6400 premises had active NBN connections.
iiNet recently laid down the gauntlet to NBN Co, stating NBN Co needs to buy out iiNet's fibre and HFC networks or be prepared for competition from the ISP.
However, Chris Coughlan, director research consulting at Telsyte, said iiNet's fibre and HFC networks are unlikely to be attractive to NBN Co due to the low number of customers it has, compared to Telstra and Optus’ HFC customers.
“The latest press around FTTH numbers may well be an attempt to influence NBN Co on their market power so as to increase the motivation for NBN Co to do a deal. NBN Co may well provide the same or similar terms to iiNet. However, the benefit to NBN Co will not be as large due to the relatively low numbers [of customers],” he told Computerworld Australia.
“With the 18-month closure of copper now commencing, we can expect that [the] migration to NBN Co-provided FTTH will increase rapidly in the coming year and will quickly surpass the customers on iiNet direct infrastructure.”
Conroy told the Senate there are now 30,000 premises with active connections to the NBN via fibre, fixed wireless and satellite.
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