Opticomm, Australia's leading FTTH network builder and operator has launched its new web site. The site includes a large amount of information and frequently asked questions both about Opticomm and FTTH in general.
The ACOMM Awards recognise excellence in the communications industry and are granted by Communications Alliance and Communications Day. The Partnership for Growth award recognises the contribution NEC and OptiComm have made to the changing communications industry in Australia and their work across Greenfield sites and with NBNCo Tasmania.
To enable OptiComm to build and maintain the FTTP infrastructure in Greenfield estates, the company chose NEC supply to locally support core and access technology. Under the partnership, OptiComm installs the backhaul network back to capital city Points of Interconnect, and in the housing estates deploys NEC’s GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) technology for connectivity to each home or business.
GPON can serve up to 128 homes or businesses on a single fibre and the technology provides better broadband access for Australia’s geographically dispersed population as it extends further than the current infrastructure, facilitating faster broadband.
Michael Johannessen said NEC was uniquely positioned to work with OptiComm to assist them with carrier grade optical networking infrastructure.
“NEC was the only company in Australia that was able to supply the infrastructure that allows a genuine open access environment using GPON technology,” he said. “Winning our third ACOMM award in a decade is a ringing endorsement of the way NEC has helped to change communications in Australia.
OptiComm CEO Paul Cross said partnering with NEC meant OptiComm could reassure both the estate developers and the retail service providers (RSPs) that each “branded” service in the estates would be provided and backed by an Australian company using carrier grade GPON FTTP to ensure reliable broadband connectivity with contracted service level agreements.”
“NEC was able to bring to the table its vast experience in optical systems delivering voice, video and data applications,” Cross said.
The winners of the prestigious 2010 ACOMM Awards held by Communications Day and Communications Alliance were announced last night at Sydney's Four Seasons Hotel.
NSW Minister for Commerce Paul Lynch said up to 40 households at Parkbridge Estate will gain access to four unique applications during the trial which requires the open access functions of the high speed of a fibre optic solution which Opticomm delivers.
The applications include:
- A smart metering system that will allow families and businesses to track their energy consumption in real time and adjust energy use accordingly;
- A touch screen communications system to help people unable to access more common ways to communicate;
- A virtual world learning environment for school students using web cameras, computers and live video interaction;
- High-definition IPTV to allow people to access and watch any of the Free to Air stations, and High Definition ABC iView content
“We have begun trialling new applications that will take advantage of unprecedented broadband speeds in the areas of health and disability care, education, energy consumption and home entertainment,” he said.
Opticomm's “Parkbridge Estate is an ideal site for this trial because it comes with [open access] fibre-to-the-home capacity, which will be a feature of the National Broadband Network,” Mr Lynch said.
The trial would run until the end of the year and would help inform a more comprehensive series of trials across the State in the future.
He said the trials would help industry develop new markets and drive innovation and
business growth. Mr Lynch also launched a new website www.broadband.nsw.gov.au which highlights the work of the NSW National Broadband Network Taskforce.
Background on applications
ENERGY CONSUMPTION PORTAL - This project provides households with a tool to help budget energy use and better manage energy costs in the future. Integral Energy will replace normal electricity meters with smart meters that regularly collects data and transmits it over a secure an dedicated link across the Opticomm network. This allows residents to work out which appliances consume the most electricity in their home and what times of day energy use peaks. Residents will be able to monitor use through an Internet page and decide which appliances could be turned on or off to better manage their energy costs.This project will be rolled out progressively at Parkbridge Estate.
KEEP IN TOUCH - The ‘Keep In Touch’ project features a simple touch screen communications system to help people who have difficulty using traditional communication methods to communicate with loved ones and care providers. It will allow residents to easily keep in touch with someone in aged care, community care, or a young child that can't use email or telephones. This project is managed by the Smart Services Cooperative Research Centre, a government-funded research organisation, in collaboration with Consult Point, a business technology firm.
CONNECTED CLASSES & INTERACTIVE STORYTIME FROM HOME - This project gives a glimpse into the future of education. Year 3 and 5 students from Middleton Grange and Kellyville Public Schools will have a chance to communicate and collaborate in a structured learning activity using a virtual classroom. This involves using web cameras and computers to “immerse” themselves in a virtual world learning environment. Students will be represented by their live video image and they will be able to see and hear each other and interact with video screens and virtual interactive whiteboards. Using the same technology, pre-schoolers from Parkbridge Estate will have the chance to participate from home in Storytime sessions which are normally held in the Middleton Grange Public School library. The Department of Education and Training has partnered with the Smart Services Cooperative Research Centre to demonstrate the value of new learning methods.
HIGH DEFINITION IPTV (HDTV) - Using TV remote control residents will be able to access programs using IPTV delivered to their televisions at a time that suits them. The content will be in a higher definition and better quality than the ‘catch-up’ shows currently available online. The initial content supplied in the trial will be from ABC iView. This will later expand to include government information on demand. This project is managed by National ICT Australia Ltd (NICTA), one of the largest government funded ICT research groups in Australia, in collaboration with OptiComm.
The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy today opened another NEC and Opticomm Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) community at Alamanda in Victoria.
Alamanda, along with other NEC enabled Opticomm Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) communities have now gone live across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. The success of the Greenfield roll out has prompted NEC and Opticomm to look at extending FTTP connectivity into existing neighbouring areas, using the infrastructure built in the Greenfield developments as the network ‘hub’.
Senator Conroy in his speech made reference to Alamanda developer Villawood and network operator Opticomm as being the benchmark for telecommunication infrastructure delivery into new housing estates. Conroy highlighted the Government's plans to proceed with legislation early in the new year which will mandate FTTP to be deployed in all new housing estates.
Two of the communities also feature ground breaking ‘smart electricity metering’. Lochiel Park in South Australia is the first commercial implementation of Smart Grid electricity metering, helping home owners and builders meet sustainability design requirements. This aligns with the Federal Government’s decision to invest $100 million in the development of Smart Grid technology to create smarter and more efficient energy networks and highlights the synergy between this technology and broadband connectivity.
The system utilises a dedicated and secure connection on the GPON ONT (Optical Network Terminal – the device that interconnects the home to the FTTP network) to provide real-time data via a touch-screen display installed in each home. The touch screens graphically represent the consumption of electricity, water, gas and the generation of energy from household solar panels, that enable consumers to run scenarios to manage their power usages, and hence calculate their savings, if, for example they turn their air conditioner.
John Norton, Executive General Manager, NEC Australia said: “Communities using smart metering technology, are accessing environmentally responsible and cost saving solutions. This is one of the first practical new applications enabled by a wholesale open access FTTP network, the benefits of which can be brought to the whole of Australia under the NBN scheme. ”
John Norton continued: “The number of sites we have live and expect to go live over the next few months demonstrates the value that developers place on being able to offer FTTP high speed broadband access as part of their value proposition. There is definitely an appetite for high speed broadband in this country and the success of these FTTP networks will create an environment to foster innovation and new ways of delivering services.”
Phil Smith, general manager, OptiComm said: “Our open access wholesale business model delivers choice to customers, and creates an environment in which new services can be created and delivered using NEC’s advanced GPON platform.”
The estate brings to seven live sites that Opticomm is now operating across four states with another ten to come online in the first half of next year.
OptiComm General Manager of Operations Stephen Davies said “OptiComm welcomes this announcement by the government; it is an important and critical decision.”
Mr Davies who has been in the telecommunications industry for 22 years has been a champion for Fibre to the Home in this country for the past 8 years, having been involved in the first Australian deployment in 2001. “Prior to joining OptiComm last year I had been a vocal critic of the former National Broadband Network proposal based on Fibre to the Node, because it was not going to deliver the world-leading broadband infrastructure this nation needed. Already some 30 countries have started to roll Fibre to the Home on a large scale, be that driven via Government strategy or private investment. For Australia to have built a network using outdated technology it would have left us as a technology backwater and placed us at a significant disadvantage to other countries in the Global Knowledge Economy."
"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and this country needs to grab it with both hands. Building a network of this type will put Australia at the forefront of the world digital economy. It won’t be ‘see how Japan is doing it’ anymore; we will become the centre piece of broadband innovation and a reference to all other countries.”
For the past 3 years, Opticomm has been working with developers in greenfield estates to build this nation’s infrastructure using Fibre to the Home technology. With already 20 estates and some 50,000 homes under contract, the company has been at the forefront of this advancement.
Steve Cope – Hills Industries Group General Manager - Electronic Security and Entertainment, commented “the Hills/OptiComm JV was created to deliver FTTH to the Australian market, and our focus has primarily been on Greenfield developments. This government decision validates the business model, and would give significant comfort to the many major property developers who are currently engaged with OptiComm. We always saw the structure of the OptiComm networks - being open access - as the most logical and strategically sustainable model for developers, content providers, and consumers”
Opticomm General Manager of Carrier Relations, Phil Smith said “The structure of the new NBN Company being an ‘Open Access, Wholesale-only’ service provider is the model OptiComm has been operating under since its creation. We adopted this model because we believed it is the only way the telecommunications market should operate with a network owner being totally separated from the retailing of services. Retailers know they are being treated equally and on a level playing field – which is all they have asked for over the past 12 years of deregulation in Australia.”
“The proposal to mandate all new developments from 1st July 2010 to have Fibre to the Home will generate significant employment in our business and its supply partners. We are already using FTTH products developed and manufactured in Australia for the global market. This is a great stimulus for the industry, which will not be short term. “We are particularly encouraged by the Government announcement to create a working group on Greenfield development and the affect this proposal will have. We look forward to participating in the consultation process and look forward to working with the Government to assist in the implementation of its strategy.”
A Hills Industries joint venture company, OptiComm specialises in the design, construction, provision, operation and maintenance of open access wholesale FTTH networks for residential and mixed business use developments. OptiComm offers fair and equitable access for retail service providers and currently has agreements with several ISPs and are finalising agreements with several others to deliver retail high-speed broadband and telephone services over OptiComm’s wholesale access FTTH networks.
OptiComm’s wholesale approach ensures residential and business consumers in an OptiComm connected area will be able to choose from a range of retail service providers to obtain internet, telephony and subscription television services at competitive prices. The combination of services over a wholesale FTTH network enables property developers to promote “futureproof highest speed broadband enabled estates with no overhead cables, no rooftop antennas” that are supported by multiple retail service providers.
For consumers, OptiComm’s NEC enabled FTTH network boasts the fastest broadband speed available in Australia, 100Mbps, and the same fibre will also allow consumers to access free to air TV including metropolitan and regional analogue and digital broadcast television channels. For Pay TV, OptiComm’s networks are approved to carry Foxtel, Austar and SelecTV subscription TV services. Consumers can also use high-quality standard telephone services and download or stream video on demand, and run a range of smart applications including IP video surveillance and smart metering, all delivered to the home over a single optical fibre.
OptiComm has selected NEC’s FTTH optical terminal equipment with 1 Gbps ports to satisfy business user’s escalating internet capacity needs without need for hardware change, the same equipment also caters for distributed business’s interconnectivity needs with OptiComm implementing a V-lan Point-to-Point service called “Eline” which is equivalent to a Metro Ethernet service.
“Just like electricity, gas and water infrastructure are essential in the construction of new housing, Fibre to the Home is no longer a nice to have, but a must for new residential and mixed use developments. Indeed, we’re seeing it being mandated by many of the large developers who have identified it as a disadvantage not to have high speed broadband connectivity in new homes,” said Phil Smith, General Manager, OptiComm.
John Norton, Executive General Manager, NEC Australia, said: “The market trend towards FTTH in greenfield sites is an absolute logical choice. The flexibility and future proofing that fibre delivers help to deliver prosperity, efficiencies and opportunities for communities into the future. FTTH is essential infrastructure that delivers real social benefits”.
“OptiComm selected NEC as our partner based on the outstanding performance of their technology compared to others we evaluated; NEC was able to bring to the table their vast experience in optical systems delivering voice, video and data applications. The other major decision factor was the strong local support and services capability from NEC Australia,” said Stephen Davies, OptiComm Operations General Manager, and Network Designer.
The FTTH network will implement NEC’s GPON technology, developed in Australia at the country’s largest telecommunications R&D facility and NEC has also been selected to supply and support Juniper core network equipment. OptiComm’s entire network, core, access and TV distribution infrastructure will be managed from NEC’s National Operations Centre in Melbourne.
“NEC is uniquely positioned to work with partners such as OptiComm to assist them roll out high-speed broadband infrastructure,” Norton said.
Whirlpool - Australia's premier broadband blog - has seen hundreds of posts supporting the release of the product that it is 8 times faster than the NBN and delivering true Open Access to the community.
With articles also on ZDnet, APCmag, ITnews, the message is coming in fast and strong that people want FTTH.
One post from whirlpool's news release said this:
By the time I'm ready to look for my first house in another few years I hope to see more and more new estates with access to Node FTTH as that is going to be a massive selling point for me! Northgate is only a few minutes from my current home.....hmmm :)
Hopefully more and more developers will see the light and tell Telstra to piss off with their smart community garbage and opt for OptiComm instead.
If OptiComm and Node can supply such excellent speed/data plans for FTTH, what's Telstra's excuse?
This seems to be a common sentiment throughout the posts.
Internode have said they are to deliver services over the Opticomm network which has plans to rollout to another 16 estates which is growing on a monthly basis.
Opticomm and Internode launch 100Mbps Fibre to the Home
0 comments Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009OptiComm, a Hills Industries joint venture company, specialises in providing Fibre-to-the-Home networks for new housing estates. Internode is delivering retail broadband services over the OptiComm network.
Internode's first Home Fibre services will be connected at Queensland's Fernbrooke estate, a development by Urban Pacific at Redbank Plains, located 32km south-west of the Brisbane CBD. Fernbrooke comprises more than 1000 homes built around 20 hectares of recreational space and parkland.
Among a dozen planned projects, Internode is also partnering with OptiComm to deliver Fibre to the Home services at the Lochiel Park and Northgate developments in South Australia.
Internode Home Fibre plans cost from $49.95 a month for a service with a 25 Mbps downstream speed and a five gigabyte (GB) download quota. Home Fibre services are also available at downstream speeds of 50 Mbps and 100 Mbps. With Internode Home Fibre services, the quoted downstream speed is actually delivered to the home's Ethernet port, unlike the "best effort" speeds provided by traditional ADSL2+ services.
Internode managing director Simon Hackett said Internode Home Fibre was a "future-proof" broadband service that could operate for decades. "Just as copper served Australia well during the 20th century, fibre will provide the countrys nervous system for the 21st century," he said.
"Fibre to the Home is emerging as the broadband delivery model of choice internationally, with more than 13 million FTTH-connected homes in Japan, six million in the US, a similar number in China and nearly two million FTTH subscribers in Europe.*"
"Internode's ability to deliver a 25 Mbps Fibre to the Home service for less than $50 a month and a true 100 Mbps service for less than $100 demonstrates that technology is not the barrier to deploying a world-best broadband system in Australia."
"Our testing shows that Internode Home Fibre service is working extremely well, delivering outcomes at up to eight times faster than the National Broadband Network target speed of 12 Mbps. NBN speeds stopped being the future quite some time ago. Significantly, FTTH is scaleable in the future to speeds far greater than that again."
"This is an example of one of the many projects Internode has been quietly working away on for a while. We think it's a very exciting initiative, demonstrating that in the real world, the future for residential broadband is clearly Fibre to the Home - and Internode is thrilled to be a part of making it happen - today."
As well as access to Australia's fastest retail broadband service, Internode Home Fibre subscribers will receive access to a phone service that provides a conventional 'dial tone' voice service to each subscribing household, directly from the OptiComm termination unit in the home.
More information is available at http://www.internode.on.net/ftth.
* FTTH subscriber numbers come from http://www.ftthcouncil.org/?t=311
The summary of statistics has been moved to the Blog article. A full report will be available in the coming months.
Opticomm is an emerging provider of Fibre to the Home solutions in Australia and already has several estates under contract in South Australia and Queensland to deliver Internet, Voice, Television and Pay-TV services to homes and multi-residential developments.
Opticomm has the technology and expertise to install fibre backbones for developers seeking to provide their potential customers with the latest in high speed voice, data and video services. Their business model is based on an open access regime, providing consumers a choice of which services to install and from which provider.
Fibre To The Home (FTTH) systems are being rapidly deployed around the world, and in Australia there is a ground swell of interest.
Opticomm is well positioned to participate in the growth of FTTH technologies with the usual Internet and Telephone services, but also the emerging services like IPTV, Video on Demand, Video Security and eHealth.
Opticomm has great expertise but its lack of financial resource made it difficult for major developers to commit to their services. The acquisition by the multi billion dollar Hills will enable the business to grow rapidly and will give developers the comfort that Hills stands behind the company.
Adam Internet
URL: http://www.adam.net.au/
Phone: (08) 8423 4055
Type: Retailer
Desc: A retail provider delivering services over the Opticomm network
Country: AU
States: SA
Arise
URL: http://www.arise.com.au/
Phone: 1300 733 66
Type: Vertically Integrated
Desc: Small operator in Melbourne delivering services in the VicUrban Aurora Estate. Its parent company, IP systems was recently sold to Amcom Telecommunications.
Country: AU
States: VIC
BES/E-Wire
URL: http://www.e-wire.net.au/
Phone: 1300 135 231
Type: Vertically Integrated
Desc: The first commercial FTTH operator in Australia deploying services into greenfield estates. Still has connected more fibre services than any competitor in Australia. Only deliveres broadband and TV services. Going to find it difficult to compete with the full triple play service providers.
Country: AU
States: WA
Cirrus Communications
URL: http://www.cirruscomms.com.au/
Phone: 1300 552 698
Type: Retailer
Desc: A retail provider delivering services over the Opticomm network
Country: AU
States: QLD
ClubLinks
URL: http://www.clubcomutilities.com.au/
Phone: 1300 880 809
Type: Vertically Integrated
Desc: Private FTTH operator for Golf course Estates Sandhurst and Sanctuary Waters.
Country: AU
States: VIC
Comverge
URL: http://www.clubcomutilities.com.au/
Phone: 03 8706 0000
Type: Claims to be open access
Desc: Small operator in Victoria. Seems to have taken over the clubcomutility sites. Uses a collection of 3 devices to deliver the functionality of a triple play network. Technology based on EPON rather than the NBN compliant GPON.
Country: AU
States: VIC
Exetel
URL: http://www.exetel.com.au/
Phone:
Type: Retailer
Desc: A retail provider delivering services over the Opticomm and NBNT networks. Also participating in the Telstra FTTH trial in Point Cook.
Country: AU
States: NSW, VIC and TAS
FuzeConnect
URL: http://www.fuzeconnect.com.au/
Phone: 1300 881 917
Type: Vertically Integrated
Desc: New FTTH operator based in NSW. Has several projects around the country. Its parent company has been in operation for over 15 years. Technology based on EPON rather than the NBN compliant GPON.
Country: AU
States: ALL
HaleNet
URL: http://www.halenet.com.au/
Phone: (07) 4681 4999
Type: Vertically Integrated
Desc: Small operator in regional Queensland. Services a small community called Stanthorpe, west of Toowoomba.
Country: AU
States: QLD
NBN Co
URL: http://www.nbnco.net.au/
Phone: 02 9926 1900
Type: Open Access, wholesale only network operator
Desc: The government owned, National Broadband Network company rolling FTTP services in brownfield communities across Australia
Country: AU
States: All
iiNet
URL: http://www.iinet.com.au/
Phone: 13 19 17
Type: Retailer
Desc: A retail provider delivering services over the Opticomm, NBNT and TransACT networks
Country: AU
States: All
Internode
URL: http://www.internode.com.au/
Phone: 13 66 33
Type: Retailer
Desc: A retail provider delivering services over the Opticomm and NBNT networks. Also participating in the Telstra FTTH trial in Point Cook.
Country: AU
States: All
Opticomm
URL: http://www.opticomm.net.au/
Phone: (03) 9646 5236
Type: Open Access, wholesale only network operator
Desc: The largest FTTH operator in Australia. Currently has 50% of the FTTH market in Australia with some 180,000 homes under contract and over 40 projects across all states. Also won the contract to design and build (active components) and operate (end to end) the initial stages of the NBN Tasmanian rollout. Part of the $1.3billion Hills group of companies. Unlike other operators who subcontract a lot of work, has its own field service team within the Hills group of companies.
Country: AU
States: ALL
Primus
URL: http://www.primus.com.au/
Phone: 13 17 89
Type: Retailer
Desc: A retail provider delivering services over the Opticomm and NBNT networks
Country: AU
States: All
Pivit
URL: http://www.pivit.com.au/
Phone: 1300 66 33 20
Type: Vertically Integrated, Wholesale
Desc: Privately owned company that has been around 10 years. Its parent Delfcam started operations in 1998 as a PABX service provider. Pivit delivered its first FTTH customer connection in 2004 and has 3 residential estates under contract.
Country: AU
States: QLD, NSW
Inspired i-Land (formally TasTel)
URL: http://www.tastel.com.au/
Phone: 1300 550 580
Type: Retailer
Desc: The former retailer of a JV between AAPT and Aurora Energy, Inspired i-Land delivers services over the Tasmanian Government TasCOLT project.
Country: AU
States: Tas
Pacific.Net
URL: http://http//www.tpnet.co.nz/
Phone: +64 3 543 9094
Type: Vertically Integrated
Desc: Small boutique operatator in Nelson, at the tip of the South Island of New Zealand.
Country: NZ
States: -
TelecomNZ
URL: http://www.telecom.co.nz/
Phone:
Type: Retailer
Desc: The former Telecom New Zealand retail division which has now been structurally seperated from the wholesale organisation. Previously had three estates in the North Island. Not sure if these have been taken over by TelecomWholesale.
Country: NZ
States: -
TelecomWholesale
URL: http://www.telecomwholesale.co.nz/
Phone:
Type: Wholesale
Desc: The former Telecom New Zealand wholesale division which has now been structurally seperated from the retail organisation
Country: NZ
States: -
Telstra
URL: http://www.telstrasmartcommunity.com/
Phone: 1800 204 128.
Type: Vertically Integrated
Desc: Australia's incumbant Carrier with revenues of $20billion per year. A slow starter with FTTH, but has recently signed contracts with 68 developers across the country.
Country: AU
States: ALL
TelstraClear
URL: http://www.telstraclear.co.nz/
Phone:
Type: Vertically Integrated
Desc: New Zealand arm of Telstra Australia. Currently only has 1 estates near Christchurh.
Country: NZ
States: -
TransACT
URL: http://www.transact.com.au/
Phone: 13 30 61
Type: ISP wholesale access, voice and video vertically integrated.
Desc: Since 2001 TransACT has been rolling out a hybrid FTTC network to provide Canberra and Queanbeyan with broadband and telephony communication services. Orginally using VDSL equipment, they migrated to traditional DSLAM deployments in Telstra exchanges. TransACT is now retrofitting VDSL2 into their FTTC network that passes some 60,000 premises, and supplying FTTP in mainly greenfields areas. TransACT now services over 50,000 customers and provides FTTP services to five new suburbs and is the preferred provider for an additional five suburbs/towns in the ACT and NSW. 50% owner of ISP grapevine who operates over the TransACT network.
Country: AU
States: ACT, NSW
WorldxChange
URL: http://www.xnet.co.nz/
Phone: 0800 123 456 (NZ)
Type: Retailer
Desc: A retail service provider working in conjunction with TelecomWholesale to deliver FTTH into greenfield estates in New Zealand.
Country: NZ
States: -
To see the list of communities that there operators deliver services go to the Australian and New Zealand Communities Map
