Time for ACCC to measure FWA and LEOSat performance

Venture Insights argues for the inclusion of Home Wireless and LEOSat in the ACCC's Measuring Broadband Australia program.

Heath Gibson · Executive Manager – Industry Intelligence and Insights at NBN Australia28 June 2024Period: Q2 20244 min read

Last updated 1 May 2026

48%→

FTTN share of services experiencing outages on most days

99%↑

Optus share of busy hours advertised speed achieved

Locked

Companies covered:ACCCNBN CoOptusAussie BroadbandTPGTelstraExetelSuperloopDodoiPrimusiiNetStarlink

Abstract

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released the latest results for its ‘Measuring Broadband Australia’ program. Service availability and outages are a focal point of the latest release. Most consumers are now achieving their plan speed although underperforming services, especially on FTTN, remain a concern. In this brief we examine these issues, and consider the case for expanding the ACCC’s measurement program to include technologies competing with NBN.

Key Takeaways

FTTN and HFC technologies are significantly less reliable than FTTP, accounting for 80% of services with daily outages.
NBN fixed-line services averaged 100.8% of plan speeds across all hours, but dropped to 99.8% during peak periods.
Optus leads RSPs in speed consistency, meeting 99% of advertised speeds during busy hours for Standard and Fast plans.

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Frequently Asked Questions

FTTN and HFC technologies are the primary drivers of network instability, accounting for 80% of all services that experience daily outages. FTTN is particularly problematic, representing 48% of the services suffering from outages on most days.

Performance varies significantly by provider; Optus meets 99% of advertised speeds during busy hours for its Standard and Fast plans. In contrast, iiNet significantly underperforms, delivering only 88% of advertised speeds for its Home Fast tier during peak periods.

The NBN fixed-line network remains robust, averaging 100.8% of plan speeds across all hours. During peak busy periods, this performance remains high but sees a marginal decline to 99.8%.

The current program excludes 5G Home Wireless and LEOSat, leaving a gap in the competitive analysis of the modern market. Monitoring LEOSat is essential to confirm if regional customers are achieving the 99.8% peak-hour speed averages seen in metropolitan areas.

Time for ACCC to measure FWA and LEOSat performance

Abstract

Key Takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions

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