NBN Co focused on energy and resource efficiency with new devices for home broadband connections
NBN Co is connecting households and businesses across Australia in a way that is focused on reducing emissions and resource use with new energy-efficient customer premises equipment.
nbn customer premises equipment, known as Network Termination Devices (NTDs), support the delivery of the higher speeds included in nbn’s Accelerate Great program, which launched on 14 September, significantly increasing the wholesale download and upload speeds on selected plans on nbn’s Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) and Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) network.
An NTD is the nbn connection box, which serves as the gateway device to connect Wi-Fi routers and, in turn, all internet-connected devices within the home or business.
The next generation FTTP NTDs deliver improved network performance and minimise nbn’s environmental impacts compared with the current devices through improved energy and natural resource use efficiency1. All first time connect customers and those who have ordered a fibre upgrade will receive the new NTDs.
From an energy use perspective, based on controlled testing2, the new NTDs are approximately 33 per cent more energy-efficient, consuming around 4.2 Watts, on average, compared to around 6.4 Watts consumed by the previous generation NTD. The annual energy use avoided per device compared to the original legacy device is estimated to be similar to the energy consumption from watching 200 hours of television on a 55-inch smart TV.
This improvement in device energy efficiency will assist nbn in achieving its near-term Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target from the use of sold products, being a 60 per cent reduction per nbn® customer device by FY30, from a FY21 base year3.
The new NTDs, including the power supply units and wall brackets, have an average total weight of only 400 grams. This is in comparison to the previous device's total weight (also including the power supply unit and wall bracket) of 1,165 grams.
In addition, the new NTD cases and wall brackets include an average of approximately 84 percent post-consumer recycled plastic; and the paper, wood fibre and cardboard packaging of the new NTDs is all made from 100 per cent recycled content4.
This reduction in material use, incorporation of recycled content in the cases, wall brackets and packaging, and removal of single use plastic packaging from the new NTDs aligns with the natural resource efficiency aims of NBN Co’s Circularity Framework.
Steve Smith, EGM Safety, Wellbeing and Sustainability at NBN Co, said:
“The nbn® network is critical digital infrastructure and a platform for connecting people and powering progress, enabling Australians to work remotely, start and grow businesses, access healthcare, connect with education, and remain close to the people who matter most.
“These new FTTP NTDs are approximately 33 per cent more energy efficient for nbn, consuming around 4.2 Watts, on average, compared to around 6.4 Watts consumed by the previous FTTP NTD.
“This goes towards our commitment to reduce our own environmental impact through improved energy efficiency of nbn customer premises equipment used to connect homes and businesses across the nation.”
Since 14 September 2025, nbn has accelerated its popular nbn® Home Fast product from 100/20 Mbps to deliver five times faster wholesale download speeds of 500/50 Mbps5.
The company has tripled the wholesale download speed of nbn® Home Superfast from 250/25 Mbps to 750/50 Mbps and enhanced the nbn® Home Ultrafast product from 500 to approximately 1000/50 Mbps to close to 1000/100 Mbps5,6.
These accelerated, high speed wholesale products are available from participating phone and internet providers for eligible residential and business customers connected to the nbn network via FTTP or HFC technology.
Since 14 September 2025, nbn has also offered multi-gigabit wholesale download speed tier products. The new nbn® Home Hyperfast5,6 speed tier product is available in two technology-based variants.
There are no changes to the nbn wholesale pricing of these speed tiers as a result of the Accelerate Great Program.
Customers connected via FTTP can access wholesale speeds of 2,000/200 Mbps5,6 and customers connected via HFC can access wholesale speeds of 2,000/100 Mbps5,6.
Speed is not the only thing nbn is accelerating. In May 2025, NBN Co announced a fast-tracked commitment to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in its operations and across the value chain by 2045.
The commitment, which was validated by the global Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)7, accelerates the company’s previous 2050 target.
As part of its long-term goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, NBN Co has made long-term targets, which have been validated by the SBTi, as follows:
- NBN Co commits to maintain a minimum of 95 per cent absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions from FY30 through FY45 from a FY21 base year.
- NBN Co commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions by 90 per cent by FY45 from a FY21 base year.
In April 2023, NBN Co’s near-term emissions reduction targets7 were validated by the SBTi and are as follows:
- NBN Co commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 95 per cent by FY30 from a FY21 base year.
- NBN Co also commits to reduce scope 3 GHG emissions from use of sold NBN Co products by 60 per cent per device within the same timeframe.
- NBN Co further commits that 80 per cent of its suppliers by spend covering purchased goods and services, capital goods, and downstream transportation and distribution will have science-based targets by FY27.
Footnotes
1. NBN Co’s next generation FTTP NTDs comprise of a device fleet including a 1-port and a 4-port device, both of which are manufactured by two different suppliers. The energy and resource use calculations in this case study relating to the new NTDs are based on the weighted average of the new device fleet, assuming a 95% installation of the 1-port device and an overall 50:50 installation split between suppliers, in line with nbn’s operational forecasts.
2. Power consumption was measured in a controlled test environment where the NTDs were configured with one active port. Actual power consumption may vary depending on a range of factors including the number of active ports, number of connected devices, speed tier, traffic load, and the customer’s specific setup and usage patterns.
4. The calculations relating to the new NTDs are based on the weighted average of the new device fleet, assuming a 95 per cent installation of the 1-port device and an overall 50:50 installation split between suppliers, in line with nbn’s operational forecasts.
5. NBN Co provides wholesale services and not all providers offer plans based on the full range of NBN Co services. A customer's experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn® network, depends on the nbn® network technology and configuration over which services are delivered to their premises, whether they are using the internet during the busy period, and some factors outside NBN Co's control (like equipment quality, software and how a provider designs its network). Home Ultrafast: Regardless of the retail service an end customer purchases, the actual wholesale speeds delivered will be less than 1 Gbps due to equipment and network limitations.
6. Service availability including timing will depend on phone and internet providers offering this speed tier and the availability of these speed tiers is subject to the capacity within each individual HFC segment or FTTP PON port reflected in the service qualification function (and may affect RSPs ability to place an order).
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