NBN HFC users can expect a speed boost from May 1

NBN HFC customers should soon see a considerable speed boost, with NBN Co removing a speed cap that applies to its wholesale product.

Until now, HFC services have been subject to a Layer 2 network management configuration that applied a maximum sustained information rate (MSIR) of 750Mbps.

The purpose of this was to manage capacity in the HFC network.

An NBN Co spokesperson told iTnews that "sustained investment in the HFC network has resulted in network improvements, which will allow download speeds of the HFC network to be more closely aligned to those experienced by customers with full fibre (fibre to the premises) connections."

“These enhancements on the HFC network will benefit high users by delivering more consistent high-speed throughput," the spokesperson said.

“When the [up to gigabit speed] product was first made available to customers connected to the NBN network via HFC in 2020, a performance constraint was built into the HFC network to help manage capacity.

“And, as a result, the Wholesale Broadband Agreement (WBA5) product description specifies the HFC product as delivering a maximum sustained information rate of 750Mbps with the potential to burst up to a maximum of 970Mbps, at potential burst durations between 1-50 seconds at least once a day.

“Home Ultrafast customers [on HFC] will enjoy consistently faster speeds, rather than the fluctuation between sustained information rate of around 750 Mbps and short-term potential burst speeds of up to 970Mbps.”

Households on the NBN fibre network have enjoyed a speed boost ever since last year, when the ACCC accepted NBN Co’s new special access undertaking (SAU), which removed the fees that previously applied to backhaul charges, consequently capping customer data rates.

Removing the MSIR from HFC services should bring their performance more into line with the speeds now enjoyed by fibre customers.

NBN Co told iTnews the change won’t require planned outages, and retail service providers won’t need to take any action to receive the upgrade.