NBN Co has begun a limited launch of fibre-to-the-curb (FttC) services to around 1000 homes and businesses in just two Australian suburbs – one in Melbourne, one in Sydney.

It claims to be one of the first network operators in the world to implement the FttC technology at scale.

The service involves connecting fibre to a telecom pit near a driveway outside a home or business.

Initial access can be at up to 100Mbps, but NBN Co says higher speeds are possible, via the introduction of G.fast copper acceleration technology, which the company plans to launch in “selected” areas by the end of the year.

“Over the past few months, we have been working closely with service providers to test our systems and processes, the performance of the NBN FttC access technology, as well as the new self-installation experience,” said Brad Whitcomb, NBN Co’s chief customer officer.

“As with the introduction of any new technology, we will continue to gain insights as we navigate the com–plexity of the build, as well as potential issues which can arise when people connect to the network.”