NBN Co recently exhausted efforts on its Focus on Fast promotion, incentivising RSPs to migrate customers to higher-speed bundles which began in the June quarter. According to the latest Australian Competition and Consumer Commission wholesale market indicators, the CVC purchasing of RSPs rose 9.2% to 2.74Mbps in three months.

There are four discounted high-speed bundles under the Fast on Focus scheme. These are the 100/40Mbps, Home Fast, Home Super Fast, and Home Ultra Fast, all of which edged up by around

6% in three months to 1.23 million.

According to ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey, “Almost three-quarters of all NBN wholesale connections are now at speeds of 50Mbps or above, including 17.3 percent of all services at speeds of 100Mbps or above. Most broadband customers are now using higher speed tiers and that is a result of more retail providers and NBN promoting higher speed plans.”

She further added that “NBN Co’s incentives for retail providers, such as its ‘Focus on Fast’ promotion, have been welcomed as many Australians work and study from home. Retailers may revert to standard pricing for premium services once a promotion ends, and we urge customers to monitor their usage to make sure that their service meets their ongoing needs.”

The eligibility for the six months Fast on Focus rebate ended in July. However, a new six-month rebate scheme for Super Fast and Ultra Fast sign-ups began this August. The latter effectively provided $3 and $7 discounts respectively.

“We are pleased that retail providers are acquiring the additional capacity to support network demand and keep consumers connected,” Brakey also said. “The ACCC will continue to monitor CVC to see what effect the end of the ‘Focus on Fast’ promotion has on it.”

The six-month duration of the rebates through the Fast on Focus promotion is shown in how RSPs price their bundles on the market. For instance, the Super Fast pricing of TPG is $94.99 per month for 6 months. After this period, the plan will revert to its original price which is $124.99.

Telstra, on the other hand, has a similar staggered deal under the Focus on Fast scheme. Its Super Fast pricing is $125 for the first six months, rising to $140 thereafter. On a wholesale basis though, the share of fixed-line and fixed-wireless NBN services of Telstra dropped slightly from 45.6% to 44.8%.

In terms of smaller retail providers, Aussie Broadband continued to make strong gains, accounting for 26% of the wholesale services added in the quarter. Because of this, Aussie Broadband’s Market share was lifted to 4.7%.