August 2015 New developments industry newsletter
Message from GM of New Developments
As we head into the new financial year, we're pleased to take a look back at FY15 and our partnerships with the development industry.
Over the past 12 months we have signed over 2,000 new contracts representing over 233,000 lots/premises, connected 100,000 new happy homes and businesses to the nbn™ network and have constructed active fibre to over 185,000 lots.
This milestone is a testament to the hard work and strong partnerships between nbn and our developer partners.
2015 is already shaping up to be another successful year with some exciting changes ahead.
As many of you know the Minister for Communications, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP, released the final Telecommunications Infrastructure in New Developments Policy. The policy sets out to create a more competitive and efficient environment for the delivery of telecommunications infrastructure in the Greenfields market.
Our commitment at nbn is to therefore continue our work with industry to ensure nbn continues to provide an affordable and competitive product to both property developers and end users who may be purchasing or leasing a new property.
A major focus this year will be to continue our commitment to providing developers with information to help inform the early stages of planning and costing new developments.
While there are changes ahead, we look forward to continuing to provide responsive and reliable services that add value your developments and enhance new lives of those who live in them.
I look forward to continuing our work together over 2015.
Julian Nachmias
General Manager, New Developments
Are you nbn™ ready?
A new “nbn™ ready” brand mark has been developed and one of its first uses will be in new developments, both for developers and for home buyers.
nbn™ ready has been designed to create a recognisable symbol that adds a stamp of value to nbn™ enabled homes.
To launch the new brand, nbn commenced a digital campaign via realestate.com.au encouraging new home buyers to unlock their home’s full potential and ask for nbn™ ready homes.
Being nbn™ ready means a developer has signed up to have the nbn™ network delivered to the home. This means residents will be able to connect to the nbn™ network through a phone or internet provider as soon as they move in.
nbn™ ready means the home’s full potential is unlocked and home buyers can make the most of the opportunities the nbn™ network brings from the very beginning.
When new homes are nbn™ ready the people who live in them have the opportunity to be more productive, creative, efficient, and connected for decades to come. This is a lifestyle that Australians are increasingly embracing – a lifestyle that’s fuelled by the benefits of fast broadband.
The nbn™ ready brand is available to all our developer partners and replaces the old “NBN Ready Estate” logo. For more information visit www.nbn.com.au/nbnreadyhomes
Government releases Telecommunications Infrastructure in New Developments Policy
As advised in May, the Minister for Communications, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP, has released the final Telecommunications Infrastructure in New Developments Policy, which guides how telecommunications will be delivered in new developments.
The policy’s fundamental objective is to increase efficiency and broaden choice in the provision of telecommunications by encouraging fair competition and ensuring some recovery of costs up front.
Details of the new policy elements are available in the new fact sheet.
The New Developments team has commenced issuing new Developer Agreements as well as a number of new tools to make implementing these changes as simple as possible.
We are continuing our commitment to providing industry with early planning information and indicative backhaul contributions, ensuring developers have a long term view of potential costs. We encourage developers to actively engage with nbn so we can provide this feasibility information for consideration when costing and planning your new development project.
A copy of the new policy is available from the Department of Communications website.
National policy roadshows
Throughout July and August the Property Council of Australia (PCA) is holding a series of briefings to provide members with guidance on the changes the Telecommunications Infrastructure in New Developments policy will have in new developments.
nbn worked in partnership with the PCA to provide an in-depth look at the new policy, with a particular focus on developer contributions and backhaul.
Developers were encouraged to engage with nbn’s New Developments team and undertake Feasibility Assessments, which provide indicative backhaul contributions to consider when planning and costing new development projects.
In addition to discussing the new policy, members were also given a sneak preview of the nbn™ ready campaign as well as ideas on how to leverage the nbn rollout plans to support their planning, sales and marketing efforts.
Events are being held in 14 locations across Australia in capital cities and regional towns and to date have been well attended by a mix of industry including developers, investors and consultants.
If you have an upcoming event that you would like nbn to speak at, please contact your Account Manger to discuss.
Pit and Pipe Technical Working Group
Work has commenced with industry to simplify pit and pipe specifications through a new technical working group.
The objective of the group is to review pit and pipe standards with a view to simplifying the specifications where possible to ensure they represent the minimum requirements for fibre ready installation and become and industry standard for non-carriers to follow.
Two meetings have been held with representatives from nbn, Department of Communications, Communications Alliance, Property Council Australia, Housing Industry Association, Master Builders Association, Urban Development Institute of Australia and Greenfield Committee members.
The group is continuing to work together to balance the architecture requirements with the needs of the industry.
Building Design Guide has been updated
The ‘Building Design Guide – New Developments’ NBN-TE-CTO-284’ for developers building Multi Premises Sites (MPS) has changed.
The guidelines outline the provision of appropriate pathways and spaces in vertical and horizontal MPS sites. They also detail the nbn™ conduit and spatial requirements within an MPS in order for fibre to the premises infrastructure to be deployed.
The updated version of the guidelines comes into effect on 30 October 2015 and any new designs will be required to meet the guidelines by this date.
If you have any questions please contact your nbn Regional Deployment Specialist.
Digital Trends: Video on demand use grows by over 500%
Excerpt of the Daily Telegraph Article: Aussie love for online streaming breaking net, 9 July 2015
Figures released in July by tech industry analysts Telsyte show the number of active video on demand subscriptions to services like Presto, Netflix and Stan has jumped from 315,000 at the start of this year to more than two million by the end of June.
The Daily Telegraph reported there was an explosive demand for video streaming services in Australia that were pushing internet infrastructure to its limits.
Roy Morgan research shows Netflix surpassed the one million subscriber mark in May, less than six weeks after its Australian launch. Around 151,000 Australian households added Netflix in June alone, taking total household numbers to 559,000 and viewers to 1.42 million.
The article stated the increase in the demand for these services were driving internet providers to increase their bandwidth and was likely to push more people toward the nbn™ network.
Thankfully we’re designing the nbn™ network to deliver download data rates of up to 50 megabits per second to 90 per cent of fixed line premises. Access to these types of speeds means the whole family can enjoy all the benefits of high speed internet, even with lots of devices connected at the same time - whether it’s video streaming, online gaming or watching live news and sport .
It is important to remember that the end user experience including the speeds achieved over the nbn™ network depends on the technology over which services are delivered and some factors outside our control like the equipment quality, software, broadband plans and how the service provider designs its network. We encourage all end users to ask what speeds they are likely to receive when they chose a plan and provider to ensure it matches the types of activities they are likely to need it for.
Meet the Team
New Development’s has a national team of dedicated account managers and technical specialists who are here to guide you throughout the lifecycle of your development. Here are just a couple of our stars working to bring the nbn™ network to new developments.
Matt Mineo
Deployment Specialist, Victoria
Matt brings a unique blend of skills to the Victoria team providing technical support and advice in the design and delivery of pit and pipe and pathways. Matt specialises in trouble shooting and developing unique solutions to ensure designs meet the necessary guidelines. He regularly attends onsite meetings providing educational sessions and can often be found in the trenches pre-inspecting works to remedy any issues early in the build process. Matt is self-confessed “fibre enthusiastic” applying his passion to help bring the nbn™ network to new developments.
“The best part about my job is being able to find solutions to help both big and small developers bring their project to life”.
Jonathan Wood
Account Manager, NSW
Jonathan works hand in hand with developers from the early planning stages right through to delivery, using his account planning skills to ensure on time results. He works on a variety of housing and apartment projects bringing together all parties to understand the individual needs of each development and stakeholder. When he’s not in the office Jonathan can be found competing in Jiu Jitsu and Judo tournaments and in 2014 won a world title in the world masters in Los Angeles!
“The best part about my job is being able to deliver results in an environment where trust and integrity are central”.