Introduction of a new ONT

Due to global supply challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, we have become aware of significant risk to our ongoing supply of the current 3rd Generation ONT. 

We are proactively working with our partners at Nokia to secure a supply of an alternative ONT which matches or exceeds the key features of the 3rd Gen ONT. We can now confirm that we have agreed to deploy a new 4th Gen ONT (Type 400) as our new standard ONT for all NGA connections. We will continue to deploy Hyperfibre ONT for Hyperfibre connections. 

Why are we doing this? 

Based on our current forecasts, we anticipate the need to migrate to the new ONT between April to June 2022. We are commencing work to introduce the 4th Gen ONT now to mitigate this risk and ensure customers can continue to enjoy the benefits of fibre connectivity.  

The new 4th Gen ONT is largely similar in functionality to the current 3rd Gen ONT, and provides some additional benefits, including improved Wi-Fi range (when in RGW mode) and the potential to support Bitstream 3 offers in future (further software development will be required to enable this). This ONT has strong uptake in international markets, which indicates strong assurance of ongoing supply and production performance.  

What does it look like? 

For information on technical specifications and features, refer to the presentation included in this update (see resources).  

Note: The antenna are mounted on swivels and can be moved into different positions.

What does this mean for you? 

We don’t underestimate the impact this change may cause to you and your customers; we are 100% committed to work with you to mitigate any challenges. 

• Form Factor – the new ONT will look different but it is similar to our current 3rd Gen ONT 

• Your B2B/Ordering tools may require a change. We plan to do an impact assessment with you to understand the impact. We expect that the changes introduced through our Multi-CLNE project will largely mitigate this impact. 

• We will provide you with the opportunity to test the new ONT as per previous versions – see the timings below for further detail. 

Timing – when will it be introduced? 

We are actively preparing and planning for this change. We will share regular updates with more information over the coming weeks. In the meantime, below is an indicative timeline. We will provide a firmer timeline by the end of August. 

• April to June 2022 – Launch of 4th Gen ONT 

• March 2022 – RSP readiness check  

• Jan 2022 - Service company training 

• Oct/Nov 2021 – RSP testing via CCIL lab 

• Sept 2021 – 4th Gen ONT test plans provided to RSPs 

• Aug 2021 – RSP consultation and Impact assessment  

Questions? 

We appreciate this is an unexpected change and you may have further questions. We are planning to update you regularly as we progress, but if you have any further concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact your account team.