nbn trials Fibre to the Distribution Point (FTTdp)
nbn is undertaking trials of technology that will bring fibre closer to the customer premises than Fibre to the Node (FTTN), potentially providing speeds of 100Mbps/40 Mbps.
Fibre to the Distribution Point (FTTdp) involves bringing fibre much closer to the customer premises (typically to the nearest pit) than is the case with FTTN deployments, where fibre is brought to a network junction point (the pillar) which could be up to a kilometre from the home.
It consequently offers the possibility of much higher speeds than can be achieved with FTTN, while still being cheaper than Fibre to the Premises.
But its other attraction is that, unlike FTTN, it can be powered from the customer premises. This makes it ideal for deployment to premises with very long lead–ins where the cost of bringing in power to serve an FTTN node is prohibitive.
An initial small-scale trial of the technology will see some 30 premises in Sydney and Melbourne served via Distribution Point Units (DPUs) provided by Nokia. If these are successful a larger trial of 20-30,000 homes will be undertaken, though no large scale deployment is likely before 2017.
