NEWS BUSINESS
NBN Co goes live with FTTC technology in two Australian suburbs as CEO steps down
Fibre to the curb (FTTC) access technology has been rolled out by the
Australian National Broadband Network (NBN) to more than 1,000 homes and businesses in Coburg, North Melbourne, in Victoria and Miranda, South Sydney, in New South Wales. The aim is to help NBN work with internet
providers to optimise the customer experience of people who will receive their services over the FTTC network, before releasing a larger footprint in the near future. The technology is designed to deliver access to wholesale speeds of up to 100/40Mb/s and has the potential to offer higher speeds through a new copper acceleration technology,
G.fast, which NBN plans to launch in selected areas by the end of the year. In a statement, Brad Whitcomb, chief
customer officer for residential, at NBN, said that the network had been working with service providers for the past few months in order to test the systems, processes and self-installation experience, but admitted that it is likely ‘we will continue to gain insights as we navigate the complexity of the build, as well as potential issues which can arise when people connect to the network.’ He said: ‘As with the introduction of any new
technology, we are committed to working with internet providers to optimise the customer
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FTTC access technology has been rolled out by NBN to more than 1,000 homes and businesses
experience of people who connect the network using NBN services over the FTTC network, before we make services available to a larger footprint.’ The announcement came just days after
NBN CEO Bill Morrow informed the board and government that he intends to step down by the end of the year. Morrow said: ‘I believe that as the company
prepares to confront the new challenges ahead, this is the right time to hand over the reins for the next phase of this incredible project and for
me to plan for the next step in my career.’ Chairman Dr Ziggy Switkowski said: ‘The
country has been fortunate to have Bill lead this extraordinary project. While we will be sorry to see him leave, Bill has built a resilient, performance-driven organisation which will build on his legacy.’ A global search will be undertaken for
Morrow’s successor. Meanwhile, a larger footprint of homes and businesses receiving NBN services over the FTTC network is expected in the second half of 2018.
Construction commences on Japan-Guam-Australia submarine cable system
Construction has started on the Japan-Guam-Australia (JGA) 9,500km undersea fibre optic cable system. JGA is being co-built by
Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), part of Nokia and the NEC Corporation. The JGA South (JGA-S) segment between Sydney, Australia and Piti, Guam, is a consortium cable, including AARNet, Google and RTI-C, whilst the JGA North (JGA-N) segment, from Minami-Boso, Japan, to Piti, Guam, is a private cable with RTI-C as the sole purchaser. Both JGA-N and JGA-S will
interconnect in Guam at Teleguam Holdings’ (GTA) newly built landing station. The system
will deliver a design capacity of more than 36Tb/s and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2019. The cable system is designed
to enhance and contribute to the expansion of communications networks from Japan and Australia, to Asia and the United States, aiming to improve network redundancy, ensure reliable communications, and expand onward connectivity options in Guam. RTI-C’s investment in JGA will
be built using capital from the Fund Corporation for the Overseas Development of Japan’s ICT and Postal Services Inc. (Japan ICT Fund), along with syndicated loans from Japanese
financial institutions, including NEC Capital Solutions Limited. Russ Matulich, RTI-C’s
president and CEO, said: ‘RTI is grateful for NEC and ASN’s collaborative and innovative approach, making commercial service likely in late 2019.’ Chris Hancock, CEO at
AARNet said: ‘New submarine cable systems are providing a much-needed boost to communications infrastructure into Australia. AARNet’s investment in JGA complements our investment in the INDIGO subsea cable system.’ Philippe Piron, president at
ASN, added: ‘We are proud to work with RTI, AARNet and Google on the JGA project, which
The JGA Route Map
will build on ASN’s state-of the art technology to further provide high-capacity connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region.’ Toru Kawauchi, general
manager of NEC’s Submarine Network Division concluded: ‘JGA will now provide the much-needed vertical North- South connectivity, enabling high capacity communications to reach all corners.’
10 FIBRE SYSTEMS Issue 20 • Summer 2018
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