There’s now one independent website for Australian cablers and that, says John Fennell, will be a game changer as the NBN reaches all our homes.

You’d think that with all the millions of words that have either been written or said about the NBN’s plan for faster broadband that every Australian would now know all about it. But you’d be dead wrong.

We know this because we just got Connection Research to ask people what they knew about the NBN and connecting fibre at home. I’ve have to say I was blown away by how little knowledge there still is out there – over two thirds of people said they don’t know when they’ll get the NBN and nearly the same number said they don’t know where to go for more information.

The picture gets a whole lot murkier when you ask people how the NBN’s fibre broadband will connect to their homes. Most people just don’t know what will happen to services like telephones or the internet, and there’s just as much confusion about what, if anything, should happen to their internal wiring – in fact, most people showed a preference for not having to do more wiring if they can use wireless.

Luckily there was also a lot of good news for cablers. Despite a lack of knowledge about them or what they do, there was still widespread interest in talking to them about the impact of the NBN on their home. Past experience with broadband also made cablers look appealing. Most people used and were happy with ADSL over the phone line and a majority also preferred a wired over wireless web experience at home, however, there was still quite a bit of confusion about how technology at home gets connected on a whole range of devices.

In other words, people are keen for advice about home technology but don’t know where to go to get it.

ONE SITE TO RULE THEM ALL

While it’s great to finally have some real facts about public awareness on the NBN, for most players in the telecommunications and home technology industry the lack of consumer understanding and awareness has been obvious for a long time.

This is why a number industry bodies, training organisations and leading companies have come together to establish an independent website dedicated to explaining both the NBN’s impact on our homes in terms of devices, connectivity, responsibilities, etc, while also making finding professional cabler advice a much easier thing to do.

The Australian Registered Cabler site is now live at registeredcablers.com.au, and has both consumer and cabler industry features. For consumers the site provides simple to follow sections on the NBN, the responsibilities of the key players when it comes to connecting the NBN to homes, the range of home networking technologies, and who cablers are and how to reach them via a simple postcode search.

The industry has long searched for a simple message that can help guide the public on just what they should or shouldn’t do about the NBN, and that’s now front and centre on the site’s home page. While the first step will always be for consumers to contact their telephone or internet service provider, they still have choices. We’ve decided to call this- ‘do nothing, do a little or do a lot’ and have provided quick links on just what they really mean.

For cablers the site is a one-stop resource and calling card. All cablers wishing to participate can simply go to the site, select the industry button at the top and follow the links under the heading ‘Cabler’. As long as you have a current registration you’ll be able to register your company and/or employers details so that the public can find you. You will also be able to grab marketing material and technical bulletins as they are released.

SELLING THE MESSAGE

If the research we did shows anything, it’s just how much of a challenge it is to get information out to the public, especially when there’s no advertising budget to help out. Cablers right round Australia are only too aware of that problem, but we’re hoping that by combining our efforts the Australian industry will be able to have a much bigger voice.

Our number one priority is to improve the knowledge of consumers about the NBN while getting them to think, plan ahead and hopefully take some action to make the most of much faster broadband at home. While the industry, and I’m sure every cabler out there, would generally tell consumers that if they can wire their homes while building or renovating then they should because it’ll make high speed broadband work much better. We also know that a lot of people can’t or won’t opt to do more than rely on wireless, but even here they can do with some sensible advice from a cabler.

We’re also hoping this is a big step forward for the Australian cabling industry which by and large is made up of fairly small companies or even sole operators where the resources to advertise themselves is generally pretty limited. Not only will the new site get backing from all the industry players involved, but we also plan to help individual cablers get out to the consumers in their suburbs and regions with media and marketing material.

All of these activities will be timed to coincide with the roll out of the NBN of course and we expect to work closely with the NBN Co as they move forward.

John Fennell heads the International Copper Association Australia and can be contacted at john.fennell@copperalliance.asia.