Australian pay TV provider Foxtel reportedly plans to abandon the use of NBN Co's hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network for the provision of pay TV services, raising further questions about the viability of the network for the supply of NBN services.
The company confirmed to Mumbrella that it will turn off its cable TV services, moving subscribers onto satellite connections.
NBN Co, the state-owned company rolling out Australia's national broadband network, acquired HFC networks from both Telstra and Optus as part of the multi-technology mix model for the network. As part of the deal, Telstra retained the right to bandwidth over the HFC to provide Foxtel pay TV services.
But NBN Co has already had to abandon its use of the Optus HFC network after finding it to be in poor repair, and last year suspended all new HFC service activations over the remaining infrastructure after a large volume of complaints from HFC users about delays connecting and connection faults.
Shadow minister for communications Michelle Rowland has asserted that Foxtel's decision raises concerns about the network's ongoing reliability.
Meanwhile, NBN Co last month missed its deadline for announcing the new HFC rollout timeframe, with the company stated that it is still working on its revised HFC rollout plan and a network optimization program.
But last week the company announced that it plans to provide details of the new rollout plan next month.