Home Property Australia Smart Places the first step to smart communities

Smart Places the first step to smart communities

  • October 18, 2022
  • by Sponsored

As nbn pilots its new Smart Places concept, connectivity has become a “strategic differentiator” that attracts buyers and creates more liveable, prosperous communities, says NBN Co’s Executive General Manager for New Developments, Andrew Walsh (pictured above).

Most Australians now view internet connectivity alongside other essential utilities like water and electricity. In fact, the Australian Communications and Media Authority says 99% of Australians now use the internet, a significant rise from 90% from the pre-pandemic days of 2019.

Almost three quarters of home internet connections are connected to the nbn® network, according to ACMA. Three little letters have become synonymous with fast, reliable network connectivity in the minds of most Australians.

According to an Ergo survey commissioned by nbn, ”four in every five buyers expect a nbn network connection in their newly-built home, and 80% of people are more confident about buying in a new development that is built with nbn connectivity,” Walsh says.

Connectivity is now a clear strategic differentiator and Walsh’s team works with property developers across Australia to bring the value of the nbn network to hundreds of thousands of new lots, buildings and communities every year.

Because nbn is wholesale only, it is “genuinely unique” in the market, Walsh explains. “We offer a platform for other businesses to compete and provide the best services to the customer.” More than 150 phone and internet providers across Australia offer plans over the nbn network, for example.

It’s this healthy competition that fosters innovation and contributes to “the creation of liveable, thriving, prosperous and, ultimately, smart communities”.

Smart communities use information technology, innovation and data to enhance efficiency, solve problems, and create better places for people – whether that’s improved service delivery, greater economic opportunity, enhanced liveability or smaller environmental footprint.

Infrastructure Australia’s most recent audit estimated the average Australian household will have 50 connected devices by 2026. But as Walsh says, “residents also want fast, reliable, and secure broadband outside the four walls of their homes.”

It is this imperative that is driving nbn’s Smart Places concept – which includes small, hard-wearing devices that are “the size of your thumb” and can be installed in outdoor locations that are not serviceable with standard equipment.

Smart Places range from traffic lights to electric vehicle charging stations, skate parks to water infrastructure. PEET’s Brabham Estate, located 20 kilometres north-east of Perth’s CBD, is one pilot project location where an nbn Smart Places device has been installed on a light pole in a public park.

“From that one location, PEET can offer a wireless network access throughout the park,” Walsh says. A multitude of use cases have already emerged, from a smart bench with built-in wireless that adds amenity and enhances the resident experience to a weather station that collects data to support the park’s irrigation services.

Data collected from Brabham Estate’s Smart Places device also drives irrigation at PEET’s fully-electric 9.2-star NatHERS rated display home – Australia’s most sustainable two-storey home.

“The use cases may seem modest now. But they won’t be in five years’ time. We think the potential is unlimited and Smart Places can give developers an edge as their customers increasingly demand connectivity.”

NBN Co was established in 2009 by the Australian Government with a clear direction – to design, build and operate a wholesale broadband access network for Australia. The nbn network now provides digital connectivity to 8.2 million premises nationwide, and NBN Co has secured $4.5 billion in funding to advance the network’s reach and capability.

“We want to help the development industry create the best communities for the future – communities that are efficient, liveable and sustainable. The key is a platform that supports nbn competition, contestability and innovation – and that’s what nbn does.”

nbn Smart Places is under consultation and subject to change. NBN Co is now accepting orders for the construction of nbn Smart Places infrastructure for eligible new property developments with construction starting after March 2023. Service connectivity including timing, will depend on phone and internet provider offering nbn Smart Places.

Find out more about nbn Smart Places and apply for your new development today.