Australia - Broadband - HFC Cable Networks

Synopsis

Some of the hybrid fibre coax networks operated by the two major operators in Australia, Telstra and Optus, have been upgraded to DOCSIS 3 since 2010 as a way of remaining competitive in the current broadband market, that is, before the National Broadband Network is rolled out. Their investments also indicate their support for the need of faster broadband

The other main player is TransACT, operating a hybrid fibre coax network in Ballarat, Geelong and Mildura, with all of these regions also receiving a million dollar upgrade to the higher-speed 100Mb/s during 2010/11. Since the acquisition of TransACT by iiNet in late 2011, these networks will now be integrated in the overall infrastructure plans of the company.

There are less than one million cable broadband subscribers, a penetration rate of under 10% of the total broadband market in Australia. However, most of them are high-end users with relative high ARPUs.

In this report BuddeComm provides an overview of the hybrid fibre coax networks run by the operators, some background information on the technology, and some market statistics in text and in an easy-to-read chart format. BuddeComm also provides information on the possibility of increasing subscribers to the hybrid fibre coax networks in the years leading up to the deployment of the National Broadband Network.

Companies mentioned

Companies mentioned in this report include – AUSTAR, Optus, FOXTEL, Telstra, Neighbourhood Cable, TransACT.

Hot topics and technologies mentioned

Hot topics and technologies mentioned in this report include – NBN, fibre, DOCSIS, HFC, broadband.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
• 2. Technology
  • 2.1 Hybrid fibre coax (HFC)
  • 2.2 The DOCSIS standard
  • 2.3 The next development for DOCSIS
• 3. Market statistics and estimates
• 4. Austar United Communications Ltd (AUSTAR)
  • 4.1 Overview
• 5. BES/e-wire
  • 5.1 Overview
• 6. Transact
  • 6.1 Overview
• 7. Telstra
  • 7.1 Background information
  • 7.2 DOCSIS 3.0 upgraded
• 8. Optus
  • 8.1 Overview
  • 8.2 Network DOCSIS 3.0 upgraded
• 9. Industry analysis
  • 9.1 Moving on from the HFC of the past
  • 9.2 No long-term future in HFC cable broadband
  • 9.3 HFC to be decommissioned as NBN rolls out
  • 9.4 From HFC to fibre-to-the-home (FttH)
• 10. Related reports

• Table 1 – Cable broadband subscribers by major operator and annual change – 2002 - 2013
• Table 2 – Cable subscribers versus other broadband technologies – 2009 - 2011

• Chart 1 – Overview of cable broadband subscribers by operator and annual change – 2002 - 2013
• Chart 2 – Overview of cable subscribers versus other broadband technologies – 2009 - 2011

• Exhibit 1 – HFC network status