TPG nearing 1000 buildings in metro fibre race

Internet service provider TPG has activated 995 buildings across the country with fibre, according to information sent out to resellers early this month.

The monthly list of the premises activated on TPG's fibre-to-the-premise network reveals the ISP is nearing the 1000 mark for its controversial network, as the NBN races to keep up.

Of the 995 TPG-connected blocks, 611 apartment blocks are located in inner-city Sydney suburbs of NSW.

NBN's high-value build

In contrast, the number of multi-dwelling units currently connected to NBN's "high value build" (HVB) - the national network builder's direct response to the TPG threat - sits at 238 apartment blocks, according to Telstra Wholesale data.

There are a further 12 high-value build apartment blocks that use fibre-to-the-premise - which was the technology of choice when the network builder first decided to respond to TPG - instead of FTTB.

NBN's high-value build is the program the network builder has undertaken to target the lucrative customers TPG also has in its sights. It includes only a subset of the NBN's overall FTTB build.

The 238 NBN HVB blocks equate to around 38,487 invididual apartments, and the network builder has connected approximately 662 buildings and 60,867 premises to its wider FTTB network.

When asked if NBN was concerned TPG was gaining a foothold in high-value areas, a spokesperson said the network builder was committed to rolling out its network as quickly and as cost-efficiently as possible.

"We are progressing on every front, and as reported recently, we are hitting every target – this includes our FTTB program," the spokesperson said.

NBN declined to comment on whether it had ramped up its FTTB construction specifically in response to the TPG threat, saying only its overall build had increased in speed.

TPG did not respond to request for comment.