Enhancements to the NBN will enable telcos to offer businesses access to multiline high-definition video conferencing and collaboration

NBN Co today officially unveiled the next series of enhancements to the National Broadband Network (NBN) to help enable Australian businesses to make the most of fast and reliable broadband.

NBN Co’s Medium Business Services is the latest of a number of enhancements specifically for businesses and has been designed to meet the needs of medium-sized businesses.

The products have capacity to support both high download and upload speeds, which are important for enabling business-grade applications such as multiline high-definition video conferencing and online backup.*

John Simon, Chief Customer Officer for NBN Co, said:

“Access to fast and reliable broadband provides the platform for a host of advanced services that are changing the way that Australians do business. Cloud based services, virtual private networks and advanced collaboration through high-definition video are all vital to helping Australian businesses remain competitive in the global digital economy.

These state-of-the-art products and services which were once only the domain of big business, due to the money and resources required to implement them, will now be accessible to businesses of all sizes thanks to the NBN.

We have designed these enhancements to allow service providers to tailor packages for both small and medium sized businesses, allowing them to make use of a host of new digital tools.
By embracing new technologies such as cloud computing and multiline high-definition video collaboration, Australian businesses can potentially lower their operating costs and open themselves up to new markets and innovations.”

The new offering has already been met with enthusiasm from the telecommunications and communications industry. Commander and Macquarie Telecom today confirmed that they will be among the first telecommunications providers looking to offer business-specific services for medium-sized businesses using the Medium Business Services enhancements (see below for quotes).

The announcement also follows a series of research studies that have found that fast broadband is positioning Australia for tomorrow’s jobs and future economic growth:

• A 2013 Roy Morgan poll of business attitudes towards the NBN found that medium-sized businesses (20 – 199 employees) and large businesses had the most positive expectations of the NBN of all business groupings. Almost half (44 per cent) of medium businesses agreed that the NBN would “benefit or be useful to your business”.

• A Deloitte study outlined that 51 per cent of Australian businesses expect the NBN to increase their ability to operate in new geographic markets, and 48 per cent believe it will help them target new customers. 50 per cent of businesses in the same study said they expect the NBN to “change the way they do business”.

• KPMG estimates that cloud computing over the NBN could increase the size of the Australian economy by $3.32 billion per annum within a decade.

• Deloitte Access Economics estimated that the direct contribution of the internet to the Australian economy was approximately $50 billion a year, projected to grow to over $70 billion a year by 2016.

Businesses interested in more information on the potential benefits the new NBN product enhancements may offer their business can visit nbnco.com.au/business

Industry Response:

Chris Greig, Group Executive of Telco Business for Macquarie Telecom said:

“We are delighted to support the expansion of NBN business services across Australia. The NBN, together with cloud and mobility, provides opportunity for a dramatic change in business models. We see the combination of these three trends as the key to unlocking the full potential for our customers.”

Scott Carter, Business Director for Commander said:

“Commander exclusively services the Small and Medium business markets and the new NBN business features are allowing us to deliver big business hosted phone and cloud solutions at competitive prices.”

Stephen Cartwright, CEO of NSW Business Chamber said:

“Fast and reliable broadband presents exciting opportunities for businesses to find new ways to increase productivity, reduce costs and expand markets through new ways of working. I hope these product enhancements will help Australian businesses come closer to realising these benefits.”

John Stanton, CEO of Communications Alliance:

“Small and medium businesses increasingly find themselves at a competitive disadvantage if they lack the capability to use interactive and collaborative communications tools – often video-centric and typically demanding of high-speed, stable connectivity. I hope this NBN offering will help service providers deliver a value-added suite of services that will help empower medium-sized businesses across the nation.”

Media enquiries:

Name: Dan Chamberlain
Phone: 0422 403 966
Email: danchamberlain@nbnco.com.au

NBN Co Hotline
02 9927 4200
media@nbnco.com.au

Notes to editors:
• NBN Co is developing other business products which will be released over time.
• As part of the Statement of Expectations released in April 2014, NBN Co is working to ensure all Australians have access to very fast broadband as soon as possible, at affordable prices, and at the least cost to taxpayers. The Statement allows for the NBN to be built in the most cost-effective way using the technology best matched to each area of Australia.
• The rollout maps on the NBN Co website are intended to be an accurate picture of the state of the rollout as it stands today. The maps will be updated as the shape of future rollout becomes clearer.

* You will need the right software, equipment and in-premises connection to access these services

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