NBN Co pushes back HFC sales restart as workforce system bugs bite – Telco/ISP

NBN Co has delayed the restart of new hybrid-fibre coaxial (HFC) orders, this time because of to issues with a backend system utilized to assign new connection and assurance work opportunities to contractors.

The company initiated a pause on new HFC orders at the commence of February because of to the global chip lack, which remaining the company with out an sufficient supply of community termination units (NTDs) that are mounted at customers’ homes.

NBN Co had predicted restarting orders as early as the end of May well, nevertheless this has now been retracted, with no ETA for resumption.

The even more hold off is because of to perfectly-publicised issues with a new workforce scheduling system and cellular application released by NBN Co employs to assign connection and assurance – repair service – work opportunities to its contractor workforce.

Unions have termed the system “shambolic” and have held nationwide protests over it, as perfectly as more broadly more than ailments like fork out.

NBN Co has been promising to correct the scheduling system, and nowadays fulfilled with retail services companies (RSPs) more than the challenge, which is impacting new orders, connections and repairs for a selection of prospects, not just all those in the HFC footprint.

Subscription news site CommsDay reported late final week that tens of countless numbers of operate orders are currently being held up by the scheduling system issues.

NBN Co stated in a assertion that a “new recommencement day [for HFC orders] will be determined by NBN Co’s readiness to assist web merchants and new prospects.”

“We apologise to new prospects that have been waiting around to hook up to the community,” chief shopper officer Brad Whitcomb stated.

“We have worked hard to take care of the supply chain troubles that ended up impacting the shipping and delivery of new HFC modems, and we are sorry for these issues that have made a new hold off.”

Workforce scheduling system bugs

NBN Co utilized the on-line meeting with retail services companies (RSPs) nowadays to apologise for the ongoing issues with the new workforce scheduling system.

It had previously proposed the complex troubles would be preset as early as final week nevertheless, that timeline has given that expired, and it now appears there is no timeframe for resolution, angering RSPs like Aussie Broadband and others.

Aussie Broadband taking care of director Phillip Britt stated in a assertion that when NBN Co had apologised for the ongoing scheduling troubles, he remaining today’s meeting “very underwhelmed”.

In particular, Britt stated that NBN Co “would not commit to a timeline for resolution” of the complex troubles.

“It’s taken months for us to get to this level and with out any guideline, we have received to believe that this is heading to acquire months to correct,” Britt stated.

“We’re nonetheless observing substantial quantities of orders that we simply cannot submit due to the fact no appointments are readily available, even however NBN Co have confident us there are added appointments in the system. 

“To be frank, this is absolutely unacceptable. We need a real looking timeline.”

A Vocus spokesperson stated that “a number of Dodo, iPrimus and Commander NBN prospects, each linked and scheduled to hook up, have been impacted by NBN Co’s changeover to its new workforce design.”

“NBN Co has knowledgeable RSPs that it is at the moment prioritising assurance (fault rectification) appointments more than new activations,” Vocus’ spokesperson stated.

“There has been a substantial raise in appointment cancellations as perfectly as delays to each assurance and activation requests.

“Dodo, iPrimus and Commander are proactively reaching out to impacted prospects to advise them about changes and or delays to their appointments, and to keep them knowledgeable of our progress as we operate as a result of the backlog of situations with NBN Co”.

Vocus included that it had elevated the challenge with the Telecommunications Field Ombudsman in anticipation of “an raise in TIO grievances” in the upcoming reporting period of time owing to the system troubles.

A Telstra spokesperson stated NBN Co “is plainly battling with some services troubles and this is getting a critical effects on our customers’ encounter, leading to extended connection delays and skipped appointments.

“It is an complete precedence for them to correct this swiftly, and in the meantime we’re doing work carefully with them to get our prospects linked as swiftly as doable.”

Other RSPs ended up also contacted by iTnews for comment.

NBN Co’s chief functioning officer Kathrine Dyer claimed “the 1st phase of the rollout of the workforce scheduling system went perfectly in South Australia and Tasmania, nevertheless the company encountered a number of issues with phase two of the rollout of in NSW and Victoria.”

“It paused the rollout in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory right until it resolves the exceptional troubles,” she stated.

“Transitioning to this new system has introduced worries and was to begin with impacted by platform balance and some features troubles which impacted appointment ability and scheduling. 

“This resulted has resulted in longer than usual wait around instances to hook up new prospects.”