The Morrison Government has welcomed the news of almost 4.5 million premises on an NBN service, with 50Mbps plans accounting for just under 50 per cent of all residential connections.
The ACCC quarterly NBN Wholesale Market Indicators Report released today also showed more than 2.2 million consumers were now on these high-speed plans, an increase of 20 per cent on the previous quarter.
The 1.8 million premises on the 50Mbps speed tier is a ten-fold increase compared to about 159,000 residential customers on 50Mbps plans in December 2017.
The ACCC's figures are further vindication of the Coalition's Multi-Technology Mix approach to the NBN rollout, which will see the network completed out 6-8 years sooner and at $30 billion less cost to the taxpayer.
Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield said the NBN was striking a balance between meeting the needs of customers and improving the experience on the network.
"Today's news reinforces that consumers are embracing the NBN in droves," he said
"The figures from the ACCC show that NBN's new pricing strategy is working, with retailers moving customers onto plans that reflect the true potential of the NBN and lead to a much better customer experience."
In addition, NBN Co's network traffic data shows monthly average household downloads surging 30 per cent in the past year, from 163GB a month to 213GB a month.
The ACCC's figures are on the back of more good news on the NBN. As a result of measures introduced by Government and NBN Co:
- Average network congestion has plummeted from around 5 hours a week in July 2017 to just 38 minutes a week;
- 97 per cent of homes and businesses are being connected within NBN Co's agreed timeframes.
- 94 per cent of homes and businesses are now connected right the first time, up from 86 per cent a year ago.
