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Unless you’re Patrick Star and have been living under a rock for the past few years, you would know that NBN (National Broadband Network) has been rolling out across Australia.
So, what is the NBN? And do I have to migrate to it?
The NBN is a government incentivised program that, in short, is upgrading the technology we use to access the internet. The majority of Australia have been operating on copper cables. With the NBN, a heap of copper is getting turned off and switched over to a new cable, typically fibre.
Imagine driving from your home, along the highway, it’s peak time, and your destination is an hour away, the highway is banked up, you’re hardly moving and there are only two lanes for everyone to use. Essentially, that’s what it is like being on the old network; Copper cables can only go so fast with the amount of people using them. Now picture the same scenario, except now, you have 6 lanes for the traffic to spread across and the speed you’re travelling is a comfortable 100km/hour. Much faster right? That is the goal of transitioning to the NBN. The new infrastructure can carry more people at better speeds.
Why do some people not like the NBN?
Now, here is where it gets tricky. Not everyone will have the same experience on the NBN, as there is a minimum of 7 different types of NBN given your location and you don’t get to choose what type of NBN you get. The type is determined by what is most affordable for the NBN co. to deliver to your location. Some of these NBN types are: FTTP (Fibre to the Premise), FTTN (Fibre to the Node), HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coaxial Cable) and more. To break down the differences between all types, we would end up writing a novel! However, it is critical you know what type of NBN you will receive as to whether it will fit your purpose. If your NBN connection is weak and drops out frequently, you go into one big queue for assistance. Each business and residential connection has the same level of support, and it usually takes 2-3 weeks for an NBN issue to be resolved as it must go through your supplier, then through the NBN team and back.
Do I have to migrate to the NBN?
In short, yes. For every location that becomes “Available to connect” to for the NBN, will have a total of 18 months to migrate, we highly recommend deciding at least 4-5 months prior to your 18 months expiring as connecting to the NBN can have its challenges. You’ll want plenty of time to resolve any hurdles.
What if I don’t connect to the NBN?
If you wait out your full 18 months and haven’t switched over to the NBN, then you will 9/10 lose your main advertised number, which is not simple to get back, and in many cases, cannot be recovered. As well as your internet connection and anything that still runs on copper. For example: Back to base alarms, lift lines, cabled Eftpos machines, and fax machines without IAD’s.
Is NBN the only option?
For majority of centralised locations, the NBN is not the only option, you can go with private internet links from people like BITS Wireless (us), Telstra (Direct fibre links), etc. These links are one to one connection, which means you don’t share your internet with other people, you have SLA’s and much faster speeds. If your private link dropped out, you would get direct assistance, most times the supplier will know before you do. However, expect to pay more per month on a private link than NBN, as these links are the best of the best for Internet in Australia.
Want to learn more about how NBN impacts your business and if it’s right for you?
BITS Technology Group: 1300 248 748
