[LINK] Interesting NBN numbers, including storm damage

[Stephen Loosley]

Re David’s post in December ..

“NBN to trial self replacement for lightning-hit FttC kit”

Retailers to place orders for storm-damaged NBN Co Connection Devices that will be shipped to customers.

Written by Chris Duckett, APAC Editor on February 1, 2022 | Topic: Broadband
https://www.zdnet.com/article/nbn-to-trial-self-replacement-for-lightning-hit-fttc-kit/

The company responsible for the National Broadband Network is set to begin a trial that will see customers on fibre to the curb (FttC) replace connection equipment themselves if it is fried in a storm.

In numbers released in December, NBN said it replaced 99,226 NBN Co Connection Devices (NCD) from 1 December 2020 to 11 November 2021.

"Between 1 October 2021 and 11 November 2021 NBN Co has replaced a total of 21,424 devices. This includes replacements as a result of multiple severe weather events across the eastern states of Australia during October," NBN said in a response to Senate Estimates.

"FttC NCDs ... can be replaced for a wide variety of reasons, including customers removing the device when they move house, new devices being automatically provided when a customer changes providers, and accidental damage in premises."

In an agreement dated January 31, NBN said it was conducting a trial to allow customers to replace FttC NCDs themselves. The test period is set to run from February 7 to June 30, with NBN set to alert retailers when a storm is likely to cause NDC failure, and retailers needing to confirm with customers that the NCD is blown.

"The Self-Replacement Kit trial is open to all retail service providers and is scheduled to begin on 7 February with two providers," an NBN spokesperson said.

"The trial is part of NBN's ongoing efforts to reduce the impact on customers whose Network Connection Device (NCD) has been damaged by lightning strikes during storms. It gives participating retailers the ability to arrange for a replacement strengthened NBN NCD to be shipped directly to any customers who report damage to their NCD during a storm, enabling them to 'plug and play' and reducing the time spent offline.

"There are no restrictions on customer numbers or locations."

For the better part of a year, NBN has been on the record saying it was looking for a long-term solution to the lightning strike issue.

"Our suppliers have said to us that the components in this scenario fail in a safe way, but that this also means the broadband connection to the home is lost," NBN CEO Stephen Rue said in March.

"There have been reports from some customers of black marks on devices and sometimes outside the device, on a table for example. Our suppliers confirmed to us that multiple units with this marking have been inspected and that these black marks present no safety concern."

At the time, Rue said the company was "actively trialling" the self replacement solution, but NBN has confirmed this trial involves the automation of a previously manual process.

"These are temporary measures, of course, and we continue to look at options to strengthen our devices; for example, potentially replacing some customers' equipment to minimise the impact of lightning on our network in these regions," he said.

In May, NBN said the main areas where weather events had knocked out NCDs were in New South Wales at Penrith, Miranda, Frenchs Forest, Rockdale, Grafton, Mosman, Peakhurst, Glebe, and Campbelltown. During 2020, the company swapped out 57,000 connection devices.



From: David<mailto:dlochrin at aussiebb.com.au>
Sent: Thursday, 16 December 2021 11:23 AM
Subject: Re: [LINK] Interesting NBN numbers, including storm damage

Both FTTC & FTTN services connect to a subscriber's premises using the same legacy copper tails as far as I'm aware.  So it seems likely NBN Co. have been blissfully unaware that their FTTN users have exactly the same problem in even greater numbers because the copper runs are longer (~1Km in my case) but the costs are borne by others.  Most household insurance companies won't cover such damage either.

Some areas are more prone to lightning than others.  A lightning strike on a tall tree with rather sparse foliage about 40 metres away from my FTTN modem damaged beyond repair:
o       one rather expensive modem;
o       one VoIP analogue telephone adapter;
o       one Uniden desk 'phone.

A neighbour who was closer to the strike also lost their own modem and a large-screen TV, and found the igniter for their gas HWS over the fence in their neighbour's back yard.  The tree is still standing, if a little bent, and will probably attract another strike at some point.  (I believe trees are damaged when the large currents involved suddenly super-heat moisture and can blast tree-limbs apart.)

Following that expensive lesson, I had a surge diverter installed at the meter box - see for example http://www.novaris.com.au/about/  - and bought inline VDSL2 and an RJ12 surge diverters to protect an FTTN modem and an ATA.  Note, an RJ12 diverter intended for a POTS line may seriously degrade VDSL2 performance by capacitively shunting the DSL line.

Some electricians also thread comms cabling between roof joists and the aluminium reflective foil on the underside (is that correct?) of sarking, which seems to me like bad practice.

Yet another argument for fibre...

David Lochrin
-----------------------

On 2021-12-11 18:34, Stephen Loosley wrote:

> NBN replaced over 21,000 FttC connection devices in six weeks to mid-November
>
> Storms keep frying the innards of the NBN Co Connection Devices, with almost 100,000 needing replacement since December 2020.
>
> Written by Chris Duckett, APAC Editor on December 10, 2021  https://www.zdnet.com/article/nbn-replaced-over-21000-fttc-connection-devices-in-six-weeks-to-mid-november/
>
> When summer weather begins to hit the Australian east coast, those on fibre-to-the-curb (FttC) connections need to brace for some electronics frying thanks to lightning activity.
> [...]