NBN connections are dominated by the big three telcos
Telstra, Optus and TPG command more than 80% of active NBN connections.
One of the key arguments for the National Broadband Network. was that it was meant to open up a host of healthy competition for the consumer dollar, because any service provider could offer access to the network to end users, as distinct from the well-known issues that have surrounded access to the copper ADSL network for some broadband subscribers.
That doesn’t appear to be what has panned out, however, with Australian NBN subscribers increasingly opting for packages from one of the big three broadband providers anyway. ITNews reports that based on analysis of the subscriber figures presented by Telstra, Optus and TPG suggest that less than 20% of the NBN subscriber base isn’t connected to the network via a service provided by one of those three ISPs.
Telstra remains in a dominant position, with 500,000 claimed NBN subscribers (including 407,000 voice and data customers, 34,000 data only customers and 59,000 voice only customers), giving it 45.5% of the total connected market based on NBN-based figures for the total number of customers on the network.
TPG takes second place by dint of its ownership of iiNet. By itself TPG claims 119,000 customers, or around 10% of the market, plus iiNet’s 157,000 customers, giving it an additional rough 14.1% or so for just under 25% of the local market. Optus then comes in third with 136,000 claimed customers, or around 12.4% of the total NBN customer pie.
Combined, that means that the three telecommunications providers account for more than 80% of the total connections at this point in time. Within the NBN space there are more providers than just those three, but it seems that either the scale of the offers or the security of the brands is driving Australian consumers towards the well known broadband providers right now.
You can use our NBN Tracker to get a precise picture of NBN availability at your home or office.
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