Australia - Broadband - HFC Cable Networks

Synopsis

The hybrid fibre coax networks operated by the two major operators in Australia, Telstra and Optus, were upgraded to DOCSIS 3 in 2010 as a way of remaining competitive in the current broadband market, that is, before the National Broadband Network is rolled out.

The other main player is Neighbourhood Cable, which operates a hybrid fibre coax network in Ballarat, Geelong and Mildura, with all three regions also receiving a million dollar upgrade to the higher-speed 100Mb/s during 2010/11.

At the beginning of 2011 there were less than one million cable broadband subscribers, a penetration rate of around 10% of the total broadband market in Australia.

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.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
• 2. Technology
  • 2.1 Hybrid fibre coax (HFC)
  • 2.2 The DOCSIS standard
• 3. Market statistics and estimates
• 4. Austar United Communications Ltd (AUSTAR)
  • 4.1 Overview
• 5. BES/e-wire
  • 5.1 Overview
• 6. Neighbourhood Cable Limited (NCL)
  • 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 No long-term future in HFC cable broadband
  • 9.2 HFC to be decommissioned
  • 9.3 From HFC to fibre-to-the-home (FttH)
• 10. Related reports

• Chart 1 – Cable subscribers versus other technologies – 2009 - 2010
• Chart 2 – Cable broadband subscribers by major operator and annual change – 2002 - 2011

• Exhibit 1 – HFC network status