Fibre to the Distribution Point involves placing a Distribution Point Unit (DPU) a small box the size of a hardback book in a pit outside premises with long driveways in rural areas.

FttdP, unike FttN, solves the problem of supplying affordable power to the node in rural areas as it enables reverse power to be fed to the DPU via twisted copper pair from the home.

The three-month trial  for 30 homes in Melbourne and Sydeney will deploy pit-based DPU’s connecting trial users with VDSL based services to assess how FTTdP performs in the field.

Once nbn has assessed the results of the FTTdP trial it will evaluate the prospects for a launch of FTTdP services, but it does not envisage this being until well into 2017.

nbn CEO Bill Morrow told a media briefing during the announcement that the national broadband provider was committed to delivering a multi-technology mix because the unique geographical circumstances in Australia.

“Everybody thinks that we’re against FttP but in fact we’re technology agnostic,” said Morrow.

“If we want to get it done quickly then it’s going to be done with with a mix of different technologies.”

That mix will include the current FttP, FttN, HFC an satellite networking technologies, while trialling and deploying new technologies such as FttdP and Skinny Fibre.

“Anyone that took the time out to watch Senate Estimates this week would know that it is fascinating to see the different opinions being expressed,” Morrow said.

“I can tell you that the rollout is accelerating - we are on track and on budget. Everything is going better than we expected.

“I’m two years into this job and this thing is enormously complex,” he said.

“We would literally have to walk into every single home to determine what is the best technology to get in.

“Technology is moving so fast that what we started out in 2009 is different than what we have today.

“Why would users be happy with FttN rather than FttP? Because they don’t need the speed today. 80% of users need 25Mbps or less.”