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TPG keeps top spot for download speeds in fourth NBN report

TPG delivered the highest percentage of maximum plan download speeds, while Exetel delivered on upload speeds and latency in the ACCC's final broadband speed monitoring report for 2018.
Written by Corinne Reichert, Contributor

TPG has held onto first place in the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) broadband speed-monitoring report, delivering 87.3 percent of its maximum plan speeds overall and 86.1 percent during busy hours for downloads in the final quarter of 2018.

The National Broadband Network (NBN) speed report saw Aussie Broadband come second, providing 85.7 percent of maximum download speeds overall and 84.8 percent in busy hours; followed by Optus, at 85 percent and 83.9 percent, respectively; iiNet, at 83.7 percent and 79.8 percent; Telstra, at 83.3 percent and 82.7 percent; MyRepublic, at 82.8 percent and 82 percent; and Exetel, at 82.6 percent and 81.7 percent.

Dodo and iPrimus came in last place, delivering 80.8 percent of maximum plan speeds overall and 78.9 percent in busy hours for downloads.

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Across uploads, however, Exetel took out first place by delivering 90.1 percent of maximum plan speeds overall, and 89.9 percent of maximum plan speeds during busy hours.

It was followed by iiNet, which provided 88.4 percent and 88.2 percent of maximum plan speeds overall and during busy hours, respectively; Aussie Broadband, at 86.3 percent and 86.1 percent; TPG, at 86 percent and 85.9 percent; MyRepublic, at 83.7 percent and 84.4 percent; Optus, at 83.1 percent and 83 percent; Dodo and iPrimus, at 82.4 percent and 83.3 percent; with Telstra coming in last on upload speeds, at 82 percent and 81.9 percent.

During the "busiest hour", TPG provided 71.8 percent of maximum plan speeds; Telstra 69.8 percent; Optus 69 percent; Aussie Broadband 67.9 percent; MyRepublic 66.8 percent; Dodo and iPrimus 61.1 percent; Exetel 60.1 percent; and iiNet just 48.3 percent.

Exetel also had the lowest latency of 11.2ms overall, followed by Telstra with 11.5ms; Aussie Broadband with 13ms; TPG with 14.6ms; Optus with 14.9ms; Dodo, iPrimus, and iiNet with 15.6ms; and MyRepublic with 18.1ms.

The ACCC also revealed that fibre-to-the-premises (FttP) connections are delivering the most on speed promises, with 88.9 percent of maximum plan speeds overall and 89.4 percent in busy hours.

Hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) was the second-highest connectivity option, providing 88.1 percent overall and 89.5 percent in busy hours; while fibre-to-the-node (FttN) delivered just 79.6 percent of maximum plan speeds overall but 89.1 percent in busy hours.

"It is good to see that providers have generally managed the transition to NBN Co's new wholesale products without too much impact on customers," ACCC Chair Rod Sims said on Wednesday.

"We expect NBN Co and RSPs' focus to remain on fixing speed-related problems and ensuring consumers receive good speeds on their current plans, regardless of which NBN fixed-line technology is supplied to them."

The ACCC had in August 2017 issued guidance on how broadband providers should package and advertise their fixed-line services along the lines of evening peak speeds in order to improve accuracy and prevent misleading claims.

Included in these guidelines is that RSPs should advertise the speeds typically experienced during "the busy evening period", and utilise a labelling system outlining the "typical busy period speed" in the categories of basic evening speed, standard evening speed, standard plus evening speed, and premium evening speed.

In November last year, the watchdog then published a review of the speed guidance, using the opportunity to propose an extension of the rules to fixed-wireless services.

Specifically, the ACCC wants consumers to be given more information on how services may be affected by distance and line of sight to cell towers, as well as fixed-wireless cell congestion.

However, it has previously said that it would need an additional AU$6 million in government funding to extend the speed-monitoring program to fixed-wireless services.

The ACCC's first fixed-line broadband speed monitoring report, published in March, had followed the consumer watchdog forcing Telstra, Optus, TPG, iiNet, Internode, Dodo, iPrimus, and Commander to compensate tens of thousands of customers for not providing them with the NBN speeds they were paying for.

The ACCC is still seeking volunteers for the broadband speed-monitoring program in order to increase the pool of data, especially across smaller RSPs.

The AU$6.5 million speed-monitoring program will take place over four years, with SamKnows appointed in December 2017 to monitor speeds thanks to the government providing funding.

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