NBN outages have become commonplace over the past few years, but GigaComm’s next generation, independent network is looking to make persistent and frustrating outages a thing of the past.
The NBN promised to bring Australia into the modern age, allowing us to compete with other countries in terms of broadband speed. Unfortunately, the roll-out of the NBN was fraught with controversy and we still find ourselves with an Australian average fixed broadband download speed of around 60Mbps.
While consumers are frustrated with the slow speeds, particularly during peak periods, another issue which is the subject of frequent complaints across the review sites is the number of NBN outages being experienced on a regular basis and consumers being told that these are “acceptable” or “within business parameters” outage levels.
Hearing these terms is little comfort if you are trying to video conference in for that job interview, finish the last 10 minutes of that “who done it” movie, or simply have access to your internet service for whatever it is you need to do.
NBN Outages
According to statistics from the ACCC’s report “Measuring Broadband Australia”, the average rate for outages lasting at least 30 seconds across Australian NBN internet service providers was 0.27.
While this information sounds like great news, the data is slightly misleading.
With an average of 0.27, users are typically averaging one outage at least every four days.
It is no wonder then that “NBN outages” or “Telstra outages” (as Australia’s largest NBN reseller), are some of the most searched internet terms in the telco industry. Every day there are thousands of people across Australia unhappily living with outages that are affecting their ability to connect, work, learn, play and be entertained.
In many cases the cause of the outage is often a case of buck passing, or as one, of many, frustrated reviewers called it the “circle of death” as the problem is passed between the reseller and the NBN without resolution. Sadly, the primary complaint escalation path – the Telecom Industry Ombudsman – has no jurisdiction over the NBN corporation. This is frustrating for consumers and services providers alike.
The GigaComm Difference
While the number of outages, coupled with the disappointing speed of the NBN continues to be frustrating, it's important to remember that the NBN is not the only option for internet services to your home or office. While it might feel like all roads lead (or on many occasions don’t lead) to the NBN, this is not the case.
GigaComm has launched a network that is entirely independent of the NBN. Using the latest mix of technologies, we deliver the typical high performance, speed and reliability you achieve with fibre but without the cost, time and delays of laying cables.
Network points are placed on top of buildings or street-level assets, such as light poles. These network points are connected by mmWave beams to create a multi-point to multi-point coverage mesh. Once your building is covered, we connect to your building's existing wiring to deliver our Gigabit internet service.
While it leverages the same advanced technology as 5G, GigaComm uses a higher capacity millimetre wave spectrum to provide fixed, high-speed internet.
So, unlike 5G you won't have to compromise between speed and download limits. GigaComm's technology removes these constraints so you can have ultra-fast, Gigabit speeds AND unlimited data.
Reliability and one-stop accountability
The independent design of GigaComm’s network means we can deliver an ultra-fast, stable, and reliable network.
Unlike resellers who are at the mercy of the NBN, we’ve built, own and operate the network. We also don’t need to work with a combination of multi-point legacy technologies and the legacy approaches that accompany them.
Our network traffic paths can be intelligently rerouted if one path becomes congested or in the rare instance fails. Backed by our 99.95% service level agreement our self-optimising network gives customers the confidence they will have the continuity of service they need.
Part of the issue with the rate of outages on the NBN is the inability to find the person that can fix your problem easily and quickly. Too many complaints concerning outages are centred on the problems of dealing with multiple points of contact and experiencing frustrating gaps in the customer service chain.
At GigaComm we are working to provide a new internet solution that can consistently and reliably deliver the speeds we all need.
Our focus isn’t on managing to achieve an “acceptable” rate of outages but on how we can provide a service that consistently delivers. Where the people that own the network, run the network - removing inefficient layers, multiple points of potential failure and with them, the day- to-day frustrations and productivity impacts that are felt by so many Australian internet users.
