The Twenty-ninth Measuring Broadband Australia Report, released in June 2025 by the ACCC and prepared by SamKnows (now part of Cisco), presents a reassuring picture on the surface. Australians on NBN fixed-line services are, on average, reaching or exceeding their plan speeds — even during peak hours. For many on fibre, it’s clear that the network is finally delivering on expectations set more than a decade ago.
However, dig a little deeper and the unevenness of our broadband system becomes evident. Fibre to the Node (FTTN) services continue to underperform, particularly on the NBN50 and NBN100 tiers. These outdated copper-based connections still represent a large share of active services and remain the primary cause of persistent underperformance.
This legacy burden is now forcing NBN Co into a defensive posture. As reported recently by iTnews, the company has flagged its intention to “rationalise” the number of access technologies it supports by 2030. The admission comes as it faces growing risks around equipment obsolescence and mounting operational complexity. By then, seven access technologies will still be in play — an outcome of the so-called multi-technology mix introduced in 2013. Had the original 2009 FTTP plan been followed through, Australia would not now be facing the expensive and disruptive task of weaning itself off obsolete technologies.
The irony is striking: a policy reversal meant to reduce costs and accelerate rollout has instead delivered a patchwork network that now demands rationalisation, forced upgrades, and additional capital expenditure to avoid service degradation. NBN Co is preparing to invest hundreds of millions into system simplification, fibre upgrades, AI-driven efficiencies, and a new set of service standards — much of which would have been unnecessary had infrastructure policy stayed the course.
That’s why the move by retail provider Exetel to simplify its offering is both timely and strategic. In response to NBN Co’s upcoming wholesale upgrade — which will lift the baseline speed of the Home Fast tier from 100/20 to 500/50 Mbps — Exetel has launched a single, no-frills retail plan at $80 per month for FTTP and HFC customers. This marks a clear break from the usual maze of promotional offers and tiered speed menus that have long confused consumers. In a market saturated with complexity, simplicity is now the disruptor.
But simplification must also come with fairness. Beyond the metro fibre footprint, Australians relying on fixed wireless and satellite remain disadvantaged. The ACCC’s report shows that fixed wireless services have seen a decline in peak performance, while Sky Muster remains constrained by latency and throughput. Starlink offers better raw speed and lower latency, but with higher packet loss and reliability concerns.
This divide underscores why retail competition alone cannot fix what remains a structurally uneven network. The shift must be underpinned by coherent national policy.
As I have mentioned before, the latest CommsDay Pulse industry survey offers encouraging insight: a clear majority of telecom professionals now favour keeping the NBN wholesale-only, either under current public ownership or as a corporatised utility with long-term investment stability. There’s broad recognition that continual structural change serves neither industry nor the public. Instead, the focus must now be on strengthening what exists — particularly fibre densification, regional parity, and network resilience.
The combined message from industry sentiment, retail innovation, and NBN Co’s own internal roadmap is clear: Australia doesn’t need another reinvention of its broadband model. It needs commitment, equity, and strategic continuity.
We’re finally seeing the pieces align — higher performance standards, simpler products, and the long-overdue decommissioning of obsolete infrastructure. But this transition must now be managed with urgency, transparency, and an unflinching focus on inclusion.
If we want a broadband network worthy of a modern digital economy — one that serves all Australians equally — then we must finish the job that started in 2009. No more half-measures. The NBN must be completed properly, fibre-first, and future-proofed.
Paul Budde