NBN Co, the company overseeing the construction of Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN), has reported achieving download speeds of 994Mbps during a technology trial carried out over an HFC network. Announcing the development in a press release, the company claimed that the in-field trial in Templestowe, Victoria, had demonstrated the potential for the 2.5 million or so premises that use or are due to be connected via HFC as part of the NBN rollout.
During the trial, NBN Co said that DOCSIS 3.1 technology had demonstrated its capability over an expanded spectrum range to support future wholesale speed upgrades using a standard NBN HFC connection box in the home. Meanwhile, with a related lab test with the technology having returned upload speeds of 988Mbps, it was noted that both trials had used the expanded spectrum range inside the coaxial cable that NBN Co will progressively start using as part of the introduction of DOCSIS 3.1 technology.
NBN Co has suggested that the Templestowe trial had provided it with new insights to guide future technical development and planning, while it said both of the latest demonstrations ‘build upon an ongoing program to improve customer experience on the HFC network, including technology upgrades and infrastructure improvements geared towards providing an HFC network that delivers on customer expectations today and into the future’.