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NBN Co: Delivering a world class

HFC network for Australia

Dennis SteigerCTO

Commsday Summit – Sydney

April 21st 2015

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The road we have travelled….

• The HFC team at NBN Co is less than a year old –

but we have accomplished a lot …..

– Now operating as separate unit reporting

direct to our CEO Bill Morrow

– Conducted successful HFC technology

demonstration in Blacktown

– Signed key HFC equipment deal with US

technology firm Arris

– Planning HFC construction trials

in NSW and QLD

– Announced our plan to offer Docsis 3.1

services from 2017 onwards

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A new HFC network for the nation…..

• The NBN will deliver an upgraded HFC network for

Australia – we are not simply rebadging the Telstra &

Optus networks.

• Leveraging the existing HFC networks – especially lead-

ins - will save substantial time and money

• NBN Co will install ‘new engines’ in form of powerful new

Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTS) and other

new network equipment.

• NBN Co plans to extend the HFC networks to areas not

currently connected to networks – particularly MDUs.

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HFC technology demonstration…..

• NBN Co conducted an HFC technology

demonstration from the Optus exchange in

Blacktown, Western Sydney in 1Q15.

• The demo enabled us to show we could deliver a

wholesale Layer 2 Ethernet Bitstream Service with

connectivity from end-user back to an NBN Co POI.

• Using Docsis 3.0 via an Arris E6000 CMTS the trial

achieved peak speeds of 376Mbps downstream

and 49Mbps upstream – a great result!

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Signing our key deal…..

• In February our HFC equipment deal with Arris was

announced – our first major vendor deal for HFC.

• Arris will supply us with their E6000 CMTS and other

new network hardware.

• Arris will also assist us with their considerable global

expertise in HFC network rollout.

• Arris is already working with Comcast in the US and

Liberty Global across multiple European markets.

• In South Korea Arris is now helping SK Broadband

deliver 1Gbps HFC over Docsis 3.0 networks.

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Construction Trials – Putting it all together….

• In March we announced our planned HFC construction trials

for three sites in QLD and one in NSW.

• HFC construction trials are planned to begin in coming

months ahead of our planned pilot launch in 4Q15.

• Help us test construction processes for connecting homes

on HFC network without current lead-in.

• Testing various mechanisms for increasing network capacity

and improving overall wholesale broadband speeds.

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Docsis 3.1 – NBN Co to be a global technology leader

• At Cable Congress in Brussels we announced we would be launching Docsis 3.1 services in 2017 –

once required CMTS equipment is available.

• NBN Co wants to be a technology leader in HFC and launching Docsis 3.1 puts us in the vanguard of

global cable operators.

• Docsis 3.1 not only offers us a pathway to 1Gbps services – but also offers us a much more spectrum

efficient network and reduces latency.

VERSION Released Primary Feature(s)

DOCSIS 1.0 1996 Initial release, allowed for 8Mbps in the downstream.

DOCSIS 1.1 1998 Upgrade in modulation types allowed for 30Mbps downstream.

DOCSIS 2.0 2001 Improvement in upstream modulation allowed symmetric services to be offered.

DOCSIS 3.0 2007 Channel bonding allowing for 1Gbps in the downstream (aggregate).

DOCSIS 3.1 2014 Advanced modulation allowing for 10Gbps in the downstream (aggregate)

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Docsis 3.1 – Our pathway to Gigabit services

• The launch of Docsis 3.1 services on the NBN gives us a

pathway to offering 1Gbps wholesale services on the

HFC network from 2017 onwards.

• On a global basis we will likely see initial commercial

level Docsis 3.1 deployments in first half of 2016 – most

likely in the US from Comcast.

• NBN Co can already offer 1Gbps wholesale services on

our FTTP network – so 1Gbps via HFC would mean over

half of the NBN is Gigabit capable.

• Using new technologies such as G.Fast would give us

gateway to delivering Gigabit services on the VDSL

portion of the NBN.

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The road ahead…..

• Foundations are laid for HFC rollout – but the Telstra

and Optus deals are still conditional on approval.

• NBN Co plans to begin HFC construction trials

in the coming months in NSW and QLD

• Looking to work with RSP partners in 3Q15 as we

open up testing ‘Sandpit’ for trials and testing

• Finalise HFC rollout schedule and roll into broader

NBN construction schedule

• Scheduled launch of pilot in 4Q15 and

move towards planned commercial launch in 1H16

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Conclusion…..

• Upgraded HFC network should deliver high quality

broadband to Australians sooner and at less cost.

• NBN Co has made solid progress over the last year on

HFC deployment – but a lot of work remains ahead.

• HFC remains a hugely viable technology platform with

140 million global subs in US, Europe and APAC.

• Cable operators already delivering up to 500Mbps via

HFC on Docsis 3.0 – even 1Gbps is possible.

• Docsis 3.1 opens the doorway to the ‘Gigabit Cable’ era

– putting HFC on par with FTTP.