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Formal market share data for the sector will be released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in February and will show whether Aussie Broadband has been able to maintain its lead over Vocus, which is trying to seal an acquisition of TPG Telecom’s fibre networks.
The broadband services provided by Aussie Broadband at the end of September include business connections as well as homes. But home connections are the biggest proportion of services, accounting for 548,457 of the total, up 14 per cent on the same quarter a year earlier.
Aussie Broadband said it had added more services in October, lifting total connections to more than 740,000.
Like other broadband providers, ABB is changing the prices it charges consumers to access the internet following the competition watchdog’s approval of a new fee structure for the National Broadband Network.
Aussie Broadband will lift prices for popular 50 megabits per second plans to $85 per month from $79 previously from November 21, but prices for the faster 100 mbps plans will drop to $95 from $99 previously.
Aussie Broadband’s new prices will undercut Telstra’s for most residential plans, with Telstra charging $100 a month for its 50 mpbs plan from November 1 and $110 for a 100 mbps plan.
Aussie Broadband managing director Phillip Britt is also chasing business and government clients, arguing that the company can “leverage the trust” existing customers have in the brand. The group has kept customers by investing in consumer services, including keeping its help centres in Australia rather than installing them in countries with lower labour costs.
It is also trying to expand its share of the voice communications market by considering an acquisition of software group Symbio, which provides technology to help people make telephone calls over the internet.
A three-week period of exclusive due diligence was extended last week and will now end on Tuesday at midnight.
Aussie Broadband’s indicative takeover offer for Symbio trumped a previous offer by competitor Superloop, which said on October 5 that it was “not currently contemplating” a revised offer to buy all of Symbio.
Superloop’s chief financial officer, Luke Oxenham, resigned suddenly a week ago. Superloop declined to comment on the reason but told investors it was for personal reasons. Dean Tognella, who has been running Superloop’s business and wholesale divisions, is acting as chief financial officer while the company searches for a permanent replacement.
Aussie Broadband shares last traded at $3.88. They have risen more than 60 per cent over the last 12 months.
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