NBN Co extends offer of up to 40 per cent additional capacity at no cost for another two months

• Internet providers can access up to an additional 40 per cent capacity at no cost through June and July billing periods
• NBN Co also extends offer to internet providers to increase average download data limits for standard Sky Muster services for another two months
• Australian Broadband Data Demand report highlights on the main nbn wholesale service:

- Weekly download throughput peak of 12.5 Terabits per second (Tbps) recorded on Friday, 24 April during the Evening Busy Hours

- Weekly upload throughput peak of 1.02Tbps recorded on Friday, 24 April during the Evening Busy Hours

NBN Co has extended its offer to provide up to 40 per cent additional capacity to internet providers at no extra cost for another two months as it continues to support telecommunications retailers and help Australians stay connected through the COVID-19 pandemic.

NBN Co has also extended its offer to increase download data limits for its standard Sky Muster service to 90GB* of data on average for another two months. This offer, which came into effect at the end of March, provides an additional 45GB* for each standard Sky Muster service at no additional cost to internet providers.

“We are extending these offers by another two billing periods because we know how crucial it is for the nation to have access to reliable and fast broadband services as Australians continue to work, study and be entertained at home,” said Brad Whitcomb, Chief Customer Officer – Residential at NBN Co.

“Whether it’s through this additional up to 40 per cent capacity available to internet retailers at no extra cost, our support for Sky Muster customers, or the $150 million of financial relief and assistance we recently announced to help keep low-income households and small and medium businesses facing hardship stay connected, nbn is here to support internet providers and Australians through this pandemic.”

NBN Co’s initial capacity offer was launched in March to give internet providers pricing relief for up to 40 per cent more Connectivity Virtual Circuit (CVC) capacity, where available and required, to respond to increased COVID-19 related user demand.

The initial offer was for three months through to May, but that has now been extended by another two billing periods through to July 2020, as data demand continues to track above pre-COVID-19 levels (which NBN Co measures from the last week of February for the purposes of this offer).

The CVC is the capacity that internet providers procure from NBN Co as the wholesaler and which is used to supply high-speed broadband services to residential and business customers. When internet providers do not purchase or provision sufficient capacity, it can lead to traffic congestion and slower speeds for customers.

The 40 per cent additional capacity offer set total CVC charges applied in the internet provider’s February 2020 invoice as the baseline and provides a credit to offset any increase in total CVC charges that would otherwise be payable by internet providers in subsequent invoices issued up to May 2020 (now extended to July 2020) to ensure the industry is supporting customers’ reliance on broadband services during social isolation.

The offer to increase data limits for standard Sky Muster services will, in some cases, effectively double the average monthly download limits on retail plans offered to many standard Sky Muster customers.  However, it is will be left to internet providers to decide how they implement this for their customer base.

The extended offers come as data demand on nbn Co’s main wholesale service continues to remain at higher levels than its pre-COVID-19 baseline as more Australians continue to self-isolate and shift their work, education and entertainment needs online.

For the week from Monday 20 April to Sunday 26 April, peak download throughput (the measure of data flowing through the nbn™ access network) during daytime business hours, increased by 18 per cent to 9.2Tbps compared to the last week of February.

The peak download throughput on the main wholesale service recorded in the early evening hours for the week beginning 20 April increased 17 per cent to 11.5Tbps compared to the pre-COVID-19 baseline, while the peak download throughput on the main wholesale service in the evening busy hours increased by 13 per cent to 12.5Tbps.

Compared to the pre-COVID-19 baseline, peak upload throughput on the main nbn wholesale service in the evening busy hours for the week beginning 20 April increased by 32 per cent to 1.02Tbps; peak upload throughput in the early evening hours increased 48 per cent to 1.01Tbps; and peak throughput during daytime business hours increased by 101 per cent to 1Tbps.

Compared to the pre-COVID-19 baseline before social distancing measures were implemented, downstream network usage on the nbn main wholesale service during business hours on 24 April 2020 was 62 per cent higher (as shown in the graph below at 11am) than the pre-COVID-19 baseline.

Upstream network usage on the nbn main wholesale service during business hours on 24 April 2020 was 117 per cent higher (as shown in the graph below at 11am) than the pre-COVID-19 baseline.

“These metrics show that while broadband use has significantly increased during this pandemic, we have also seen network demand settle into a new range where usage remains at higher levels throughout the day, compared to the pre COVID-19 baseline,” Mr Whitcomb said.

“We are seeing increased demand for higher speeds as customers reassess their demands during social isolation and make sure they have the broadband service to support it. It is always important to speak to your internet provider to ensure you are getting the broadband service you need to support your work, study and entertainment needs.”

The Australian Broadband Data Demand report is updated weekly on nbn’s Transparency dashboard at: www.nbn.com.au/updates

For tips on how to make the most of your nbn connection and to learn more on what NBN Co is doing to support Australia through COVID-19, please visit: www.nbnco.com.au/campaigns/covid-19

Notes to editor:

* nbn intends to engage with retail service providers and review demand on the nbn™ Sky Muster™ service following the data increase on a monthly basis and adjust the appropriate level of allocation if required.

• These metrics represent the upstream/downstream throughput peak each week, across the following three distinct periods:

- Business hours - Monday to Friday 8am to 4:59pm

- Early evening hours - Monday to Sunday 5pm to 7:59pm

- Evening busy hours - Monday to Sunday 8pm to 11:59pm

• For Business Hours, the peak is determined by taking the highest downstream throughput for our TC-4 service from the busiest 15 minute increment for downstream throughput, and from the busiest 30 minute increment for upstream, between Monday to Friday. The Early Evening Hours and Busy Evening Hours figures are recorded using the same methodology, but over a seven day period.
• TC-4 is nbn’s standard wholesale broadband service that is designed primarily for general internet and standard data services across all access technologies.
• NBN Co considers the throughput peak metric for our TC-4 service as the most appropriate measure for growth in data flowing through the network as it shows when network use is at its highest in each defined period in a week for our wholesale access service most used for residential broadband services.
• This graph shows TC-4 usage (measured in terabits per second for both upstream and downstream) over a 24 hour period (using Australian Eastern Standard/Daylight time on the dates shown in the key). It compares the results from those two dates against a corresponding 24 hour period from nbn’s pre-COVID-19 baseline on 28 February 2020 (the last week of February). Each marker on the x axis represents an hour period in the day. The y axis shows, for each of the 60 minute periods in that 24 hour period:

- The downstream throughput measure calculated by recording the highest downstream throughput for our TC-4 service from the busiest 15 minute increment in that 60 minute period.

- The upstream throughput measure calculated by recording the highest upstream throughput for our TC-4 service from the busiest 30 minute increment in that 60 minute period.

• The terabits per second (Tbps) value is rounded to one decimal place. The percentage increase is rounded to the nearest whole number.