Ways to connect to the NBN

Ther are 2 broad categories, Wireless and Fiber, then sub categories within each of them

Wireless (radio) is being used by the NBN co where it is not economical to make long runs of fiber. To remote areas. The 2 categories of Wireless are

This will be similar to, but not the same as mobile phone internet. The difference being that it will go to a fixed radio receiver on your premises. It is designed for semi remote areas.

This is for remote areas not covered by fixed wireless. You will have a satellite receiver on the roof of your house and the broadband signal will be received by a radio signal coming from a satellite in outer space.

Fiber is being put in capital cities and major towns. Other than HFC which is a Hybrid solution that uses a combination of Fiber and Coaxial cable the other fiber categories use varying amount of the existing copper phone networks and fiber. The more fiber that is use the faster and longer distance the data can travel.

Hybrid Fibre Coaxial or also sometimes just called cable, uses a combination of fiber and coaxial cable. The physical cables where put either underground or on electricity poles quite some time ago to supply consumers with cable TV.

Fiber to the basement, is designed for multi storey building. The fiber cables are run to the basement of the building and whatever cabling that already existed in the building (copper or fiber) is used to connect to each consumer.

Fiber to the node, has fiber running to cabinets in streets and the the existing copper telephone lines are used to carry the data from the cabinet node to each house

A FTTN Cabinet:

Each cabinet has to have electrical power supplied to it

Fiber to the premises, has fiber cable running all the way to each house. As all the connection is fiber, it is the fastest of all the categories and ther is no drop off of speed the longer the fiber cable runs.

This is latest category. Also known as fiber to the Distribution point. The fiber cable runs to a point in the street just outside each house, usually the pit where your existing phone connection comes from. Then the existing copper telephone cable is used to connect from that point to in the house. Because it uses the minimum amount of copper cable it is the second fastest category.

This is what the pit looks like where FTTC could be run to:

As no cabinets are required in the street with electrical power it can be cheaper for the NBN co to install than FTTN