October 2018 New Developments industry newsletter
Message from the GM
As we head into quarter two of the financial year, we’d like to take the opportunity to thank all of our industry partners for their ongoing support, and wish you well as we get ready for the countdown to Christmas.
So far this year, we delivered on some major milestones – we reached half a million New Developments ready to connect. More broadly, the rollout grew exponentially with more than 7 million homes and businesses across Australia ready to connect – that’s over three quarters of Australia. All key technologies in the Multi-Technology Mix have now been launched, 75 per cent of construction is now finished, and 99 per cent of the country is either in design, under construction or complete.
Quarter one has been a time of transition, with the welcome appointment of Stephen Rue as CEO. We are confident that Stephen will successfully lead nbn to help bridge Australia’s digital divide and connect 8 million homes and businesses by 2020.
In what has been dubbed “the nbn™ effect”, we are starting to see the real benefits of what this project set out to do. According to research commissioned by nbn, in 2017, the nbn™ access network generated an estimated $1.2 billion of additional economic activity. This is expected to increase to $10.4 billion a year by the end of the rollout.
In other news, we recently launched our new training program, aimed specifically at New Developments, to help fast track the design and certification process – with the aim of getting works underway and completed quicker. I encourage you all to get your design consultants on-board this program to receive the benefits.
Finally, we are celebrating the launch of two new advertising campaigns, a national education initiative focused on ‘In home optimisation’ from our Residential team, and a refreshed nbn™ ready campaign from our Build Partnerships team.
We hope you enjoy the update.
Naomi Read
General Manager,
Demand Deployment
The ‘nbn™ effect’: A driver of economic growth
nbn is proud of recent research showing its effect on the economy will grow to more than $10 billion a year by the end of the rollout.
The findings show nbn generated an additional $1.2 billion of economic activity in 2017, through helping create new jobs and businesses, as well as boosting productivity.
"This is exciting because it excludes the economic stimulus of the nbn™ access network rollout itself," Former CEO Mr Morrow has said, citing the exclusion of capital investment, financing and the workers needed to build the network. "By the end of the rollout, this 'nbn-effect' is predicted to have multiplied to $10.4 billion a year," Mr Morrow added, noting the creation of 31,000 extra jobs.
Economics and data analytics advisory firm AlphaBeta was able to measure the “nbn™ effect” by analysing the behaviour of 24 million people and 10 million households.
This research establishes an important statistical baseline to measure the impending impact of Australia’s digital transformation over the years and decades ahead.
The report shows the nbn™ access network is already making a significant contribution to the Australian economy, and changing the way Australians live, work, learn, and connect.
nbn™ New Developments training has arrived!
In August 2018, nbn launched a new training program to upskill designers and installers in nbn specific Multi-Technology Mix standards and guidelines, in a move that will help developers deliver nbn™ ready projects earlier by helping to fast-track the certification process and allowing works to commence sooner.
The New Developments training program is designed to ensure that new development designs and installations are built correctly the first time – helping to minimise project delays.
Currently, approximately 50 per cent of submitted nbn™ access network designs across Australia require more than one corrective action – whether it’s for pit and pipe or pathway design.
General Manager, Demand Deployment at nbn, Naomi Read says “there are many veteran and highly skilled practitioners working in the industry today, but over the years training and specifications have changed, so we need to evolve our training programs to meet these new requirements. It’s important that those working in the industry not only have the most up-to date skills possible, but are ready for the future”.
Jim Bozikis, Managing Director at Plan B Comms said “We’ve seen nbn’s practices continuously evolve to adapt to ever changing market conditions and put a real focus on efficiencies for Greenfields projects. The new training modules are thorough and the benefits from nbn once designers are trained will almost certainly translate to faster approvals”.
Developers now have access to a dedicated list of nbn™ trained suppliers, where they can select suppliers based on their completion of the relevant training to help ensure their project isn’t faced with setbacks due to the design and installation of nbn™ access network infrastructure.
* Self-certification and sample design review benefits are intended to come into effect as of December 2018.
New advertising campaigns to drive demand for the nbn™ access network
On Sunday 9th September, 2018 the Residential team launched a national education initiative focused on ‘In home optimisation’, to help inform Australians on how to select the right broadband speed tier for their household’s internet needs and to help consumers understand some other factors that can affect their internet experience at home.
The ‘In home optimisation’ initiative launched with a national media and mass-advertising campaign, focusing on broadcast television, digital and social media in order to reach Australians across the nation. Watch the new ‘in home optimisation’ TV ad.
Our nbn™ ready campaign launched in early October with refreshed advertising creative to prompt new home buyers to check whether they have the nbn™ access network in their new development and to encourage developers to apply with nbn.
The nbn™ ready initiative is a national digital campaign, leveraging both online display and short videos.
Both campaigns are intended to help Australians understand the role and potential benefit of the nbn™ access network in their lives. For developers, we want to ensure they know the potential benefits of choosing the nbn™ access network, such as the largest number of phone and internet providers.
Debunking nbn myths: Installation in small projects
As technology grows in popularity (with nbn’s 2018 Annual Report showing four million activations in the 2018 financial year – a 65 per cent increase in national growth), and as more developers seek to create future-proofed and market-ready projects, there are a number of myths and misconceptions that can convolute the process of bringing an nbn™ ready project to fruition.
Myth 1: The nbn™ broadband access network can and will be installed quickly
Unfortunately, such complex networks cannot be delivered overnight and requires action from developers. While streamlined timelines and deadlines are key for small or localised developments, the nbn™ access network requires a number of steps before its installation is complete. This includes making an early application directly to nbn, at least six months before your required service date.
Myth 2: Applications for nbn™ access network installation are all the same
Applications (and works) for nbn™ access network installation will vary from project-to-project based on a number of different factors, including the size of the development, and whether the project is a Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) or Single-Dwelling Unit (SDU). To help simplify the application process, developers can now choose an nbn™ trained supplier for upcoming projects.
Myth 3: Anyone can install the nbn™ access network
This is not correct. Only nbn or its suppliers can install the nbn™ access network.
As the wholesaler, nbn will deliver the access network to your development and install all the relevant equipment before a retail phone and internet provider completes the process. Contacting nbn should be one of the first actions a developer takes in the project planning stages.
nbn sponsors Victorian Developer’s Summit and NSW State Conference
nbn is proud to sponsor UDIA Victoria’s one day annual Developers Summit on Friday 26th October at the Melbourne Park Function Centre. The aim of the summit is to provide an opportunity for developers, consultants, local and state government agencies to interact whilst gaining valuable information. It is designed to bring together thought leaders from government and industry, feature intelligent presentations and panel discussions and include more than 200 industry delegates.
nbn also sponsored the UDIA NSW 2018 Annual State Conference held on Thursday 18th October at the Hyatt Regency in Sydney. This one-day conference explored various aspects of the current and emerging political, economic and social challenges facing the development industry in building our Global City. Following the conference, there was a networking dinner with special guest comedian Peter Rowsthorn, where UDIA announced the winners of the 2018 Leadership Awards.