29 March 2018
The first results of the ACCC’s broadband speed testing program show the Coalition’s NBN is delivering fast, affordable broadband and consumers are getting the speeds they’ve paid for.
“The report shows that retailers are delivering high speed broadband on the NBN even at peak times, at around 90% of the headline speeds advertised, which is above the ACCC’s guidance,” Senator Mitch Fifield said.
“This is all thanks to NBN’s new discounted pricing with more network capacity, which is only possible because the Coalition’s NBN is being rolled out sooner and more affordably.”
The Turnbull Government provided $7 million to the ACCC to undertake the ‘Measuring Broadband Australia’ program.
The program will ultimately source performance data from around 4,000 volunteer customers across the country, with 2,000 devices to monitor speeds expected to be operational by the end of 2018.
The program enables consumers to compare speeds delivered in peak periods by major Retail Service Providers. The results showed just 1.1 per cent of connections measured experienced slowdowns during peak periods.
“This is great news for consumers. Retail Service Providers are delivering high speed broadband at least three times faster than ADSL and at comparable prices.”
NBN introduced new discounted pricing and more capacity in December, which has seen network congestion drop from nearly 5 hours to just 12 minutes per month.
The ACCC’s latest ‘Competition and price changes in telecommunications services in Australia’ report also shows that internet prices dropped by more than 9 per cent in the last year and consumers are getting more data for every dollar.
In December, the Government has also announced a range of new protections to ensure broadband customers get the level of service they expect from their retail service provider as they transition to the NBN.