This came up recently, there was a discussion on whether the old copper network would be shut down and if people who didn't connect to the NBN would lose their existing service. We got the official notification letter from Telstra yesterday which said if we didn't organise a connection to the NBN we would be cut off in May as they are forced by government regulation to shut down their old networks. Not really a problem as we have Wifi so all we will lose is our landline which over recent years has only become a means for people to harass us with unsolicited phone calls (regardless of the blocks that we have put on). We are not locked into any contracts with Telstra or any other provider and our phones are prepaid so I guess we are going to save the $32 a month that they currently charging us for the line rental.......probably should have done it years ago.
Mike Harding said
10:49 AM Mar 2, 2017
Hi BB
Yes, it's hard to think of a reason to retain a landline. Fax perhaps? Although if you *really* need fax these days there are services which turn e-mail into fax and vice versa. Then again I don't think fax will work over NBN?
Another good way to get a (sort of) landline is with VOIP, I use these people but there are plenty of other providers:
I have two "03 xxxx xxxx" numbers with them and pay $5 per year for each number otherwise there is no regular fee and calls are on a pay as you use basis and reasonably priced. A small box of electronics interfaces a normal cordless phone to my router and that's my "landline".
Cupie said
10:49 AM Mar 2, 2017
The flip side is that those legitimate callers to you will have to pay the rate for calling mobile numbers. The cost of course varies considerably depending on their personal plan.
It's a changing world.
I have inserted a link to an opinion piece from my fav news feed on the subject of NBN.
As previously stated we will be holding out against installing NBN until our land line is threatened .. We currently get more for less on a Telstra Fast Cable (on Co-ax cable) bundle.
Isn't progress wonderful. (Now let all the argument begin about how great it is for those poor people on ADSL and unused capacity on one of the fiber international undersea links)
HooRoo
brickies said
01:32 PM Mar 2, 2017
I would let them do the change has it is free,You could then cancel your service , If you don't change over at later date you may want to have a landline you then would have to pay for a connection .
The Belmont Bear said
01:45 PM Mar 2, 2017
Nowdays Mike if you have a scanner attached to your computer instead sending it by fax you just scan the document and send it as an email attachment (maybe that's what you meant).
Mike Harding said
02:11 PM Mar 2, 2017
Hi BB
No, I meant fax as in facsimile machine.
There are still a lot of places around the world which do not have internet access and also a lot with *very* slow internet and, even if your intended recipient has an e-mail account, his system/ISP would not be able to cope with large attachments. It'll be a long time before fax is totally dead.
However most of our modern digital lines cannot handle fax (well they could but the telecoms companies don't want to) but many people still need fax hence the internet to fax services sprang up eg:
https://www.efax.com.au/
Don't quote me but I think fax still has a legal status which e-mail does not?
The Belmont Bear said
02:52 PM Mar 2, 2017
Yeah sorry Mike you are probably correct - it's interesting though I lived in Mozambique back in 2005 and at that time they were rated as one of the worlds poorest nations, they did have internet available and it was probably quicker than ours. Not saying that the majority of the population had computers, electricity or the money to pay for it but it was available.
Lancelot Link said
12:13 AM Mar 3, 2017
Your getting an NBN connection? Jealous. We will not be getting an NBN connection until at least 2025. We will be getting a hybrid connection in a years time to the copper at the hub 1/2 a kilometre away! The speeds will be about the same depending on how many people are using it and may in fact be slower. Country Victoria, sorry, Australia, is the football of our politicians. We were promised Fibre optic and that has changed as often as I change my underwear, nearly daily! I know, after visiting Brazil a few years ago, the connection and usage is free! Go figure, Brazil is supposed to be borderline third world country! So what does that make us?
meetoo said
12:32 AM Mar 3, 2017
Makes you wonder, doesn't it!
Cheers, John.
macka17 said
03:32 AM Mar 3, 2017
Central QLD.
weareon ADSL2+ have been forever, seems like.
Card in post says NBN avail here from 1\3\17.
On contact Telstra says YES. BUT,\It depends on WHEN NBN decide to roll out in our actual area. It's theirs. NOT ours.
Also. It's a straight change over. NO costs. and they just send new Modem to suit. Plug in and away you go.
Basic speeds are 25 of whatever they are. and basically.you pay more Depending on what speed.volume. You require.
-- Edited by macka17 on Friday 3rd of March 2017 03:34:43 AM
Lancelot Link said
11:43 PM Mar 8, 2017
I have been told by Telstra techies repairing my failed copper internet connection due to an over indulgence in water, the pit was flooded and the old technology failed because the heat had caused the water proofing greasy stuff to seep out of the rubber shroud thing because of cracking due to age and lack of care, that the only true NBN connection is where the fibre optic comes into the house and a techie has to fit the connection. My brother has confirmed this as he has fibre optic to the house. His speeds are great.
So, I guess, if you haven't got fibre optic to the house, you haven't got the NBN!
kiwijims said
06:02 AM Mar 9, 2017
When you guys do get a NBN connection, I sure hope you have better luck than what we have been having,
We were connected to the service way back in Sept last year, have had nothing but trouble since then,
the service started to drop out almost every day, finally it got that bad it was dropping out almost every second hour for anything from 5 min up to an hour at a time.
I have spent many hours on the mobile phone talking to Tech Support and trying to understand what they are jabbering about,
To date I an using the Forth Modem they have sent me ( so far so good )
Be aware that with the NBN service, all connections in the home must come through their Modem first, so if it "packs a sad" you not only loose your Internet service, you also loose your phone as well, this can be a real pain when you don't have a Mobile service. !!
K.J.
Cupie said
10:20 AM Mar 9, 2017
kiwijims wrote:
When you guys do get a NBN connection, I sure hope you have better luck than what we have been having,
We were connected to the service way back in Sept last year, have had nothing but trouble since then,
the service started to drop out almost every day, finally it got that bad it was dropping out almost every second hour for anything from 5 min up to an hour at a time.
I have spent many hours on the mobile phone talking to Tech Support and trying to understand what they are jabbering about,
To date I an using the Forth Modem they have sent me ( so far so good )
Be aware that with the NBN service, all connections in the home must come through their Modem first, so if it "packs a sad" you not only loose your Internet service, you also loose your phone as well, this can be a real pain when you don't have a Mobile service. !!
K.J.
Ain't progress (driven by Pollies) good!
And certain members criticized me when I stated that I will hold out on connecting to NBN for as long as I can. I'm on fast Cable with Telstra & I get more (400gig/mth @ 115mBps down) at a less cost than I will with NBN & I rarely have system outages .. perhaps one a year at most and then just for a few hours.
I still maintain that the bastardised NBN is a crock. The evidence is plain for all to see. We had a great opportunity & they stuffed it up for political advantage. Yes let all the Xperts emerge and waft on about unused capacity of fibre .. perhaps true but not the point.
We should have proceeded with FTTP installed by the only entity in Aus that had the expertise & experience .. ie. Telstra as a wholesale company with the sole role of installing & maintaining the backbone & wholesaleing capacity to customer facing resellers ... spin off their retail arm as a direct competitor for Optus iiNet & the rest. I gave a series of lectures on this model as long as 25 years ago and at one time it looked as that was the preferred political path. The cost of compensating shareholders was the stumbling block. Just as valid then as now.
When you look at the expertise & processes of MBN & Reseller staff & management you can only shake your head. Clearly they are not up to the job.
This came up recently, there was a discussion on whether the old copper network would be shut down and if people who didn't connect to the NBN would lose their existing service. We got the official notification letter from Telstra yesterday which said if we didn't organise a connection to the NBN we would be cut off in May as they are forced by government regulation to shut down their old networks. Not really a problem as we have Wifi so all we will lose is our landline which over recent years has only become a means for people to harass us with unsolicited phone calls (regardless of the blocks that we have put on). We are not locked into any contracts with Telstra or any other provider and our phones are prepaid so I guess we are going to save the $32 a month that they currently charging us for the line rental.......probably should have done it years ago.
Hi BB
Yes, it's hard to think of a reason to retain a landline. Fax perhaps? Although if you *really* need fax these days there are services which turn e-mail into fax and vice versa. Then again I don't think fax will work over NBN?
Another good way to get a (sort of) landline is with VOIP, I use these people but there are plenty of other providers:
https://www.mynetfone.com.au/Residential/Home-Phone/Plans
I have two "03 xxxx xxxx" numbers with them and pay $5 per year for each number otherwise there is no regular fee and calls are on a pay as you use basis and reasonably priced. A small box of electronics interfaces a normal cordless phone to my router and that's my "landline".
The flip side is that those legitimate callers to you will have to pay the rate for calling mobile numbers. The cost of course varies considerably depending on their personal plan.
It's a changing world.
I have inserted a link to an opinion piece from my fav news feed on the subject of NBN.
http://thenewdaily.com.au/money/finance-news/2017/03/01/nbn-customers-upgrade-costs/
As previously stated we will be holding out against installing NBN until our land line is threatened .. We currently get more for less on a Telstra Fast Cable (on Co-ax cable) bundle.
Isn't progress wonderful. (Now let all the argument begin about how great it is for those poor people on ADSL and unused capacity on one of the fiber international undersea links)
HooRoo
Hi BB
No, I meant fax as in facsimile machine.
There are still a lot of places around the world which do not have internet access and also a lot with *very* slow internet and, even if your intended recipient has an e-mail account, his system/ISP would not be able to cope with large attachments. It'll be a long time before fax is totally dead.
However most of our modern digital lines cannot handle fax (well they could but the telecoms companies don't want to) but many people still need fax hence the internet to fax services sprang up eg:
https://www.efax.com.au/
Don't quote me but I think fax still has a legal status which e-mail does not?
Makes you wonder, doesn't it!
Cheers, John.
Central QLD.
weareon ADSL2+ have been forever, seems like.
Card in post says NBN avail here from 1\3\17.
On contact Telstra says YES.
BUT,\It depends on WHEN NBN decide to roll out in our actual area.
It's theirs. NOT ours.
Also.
It's a straight change over. NO costs. and they just send new Modem to suit.
Plug in and away you go.
Basic speeds are 25 of whatever they are.
and basically.you pay more
Depending on what speed.volume. You require.
Soooo.
Sitting here. Twiddling thumbs. sucking nails.
Waiting. Waiting..
Over the road has it and VERY happy..
We still twiddling.
And eating lunch off Avators table above left.
You like????. chuckle.
-- Edited by macka17 on Friday 3rd of March 2017 03:34:43 AM
So, I guess, if you haven't got fibre optic to the house, you haven't got the NBN!
When you guys do get a NBN connection, I sure hope you have better luck than what we have been having,
We were connected to the service way back in Sept last year, have had nothing but trouble since then,
the service started to drop out almost every day, finally it got that bad it was dropping out almost every second hour for anything from 5 min up to an hour at a time.
I have spent many hours on the mobile phone talking to Tech Support and trying to understand what they are jabbering about,
To date I an using the Forth Modem they have sent me ( so far so good )
Be aware that with the NBN service, all connections in the home must come through their Modem first, so if it "packs a sad" you not only loose your Internet service, you also loose your phone as well, this can be a real pain when you don't have a Mobile service. !!
K.J.
Ain't progress (driven by Pollies) good!
And certain members criticized me when I stated that I will hold out on connecting to NBN for as long as I can. I'm on fast Cable with Telstra & I get more (400gig/mth @ 115mBps down) at a less cost than I will with NBN & I rarely have system outages .. perhaps one a year at most and then just for a few hours.
I still maintain that the bastardised NBN is a crock. The evidence is plain for all to see. We had a great opportunity & they stuffed it up for political advantage. Yes let all the Xperts emerge and waft on about unused capacity of fibre .. perhaps true but not the point.
We should have proceeded with FTTP installed by the only entity in Aus that had the expertise & experience .. ie. Telstra as a wholesale company with the sole role of installing & maintaining the backbone & wholesaleing capacity to customer facing resellers ... spin off their retail arm as a direct competitor for Optus iiNet & the rest. I gave a series of lectures on this model as long as 25 years ago and at one time it looked as that was the preferred political path. The cost of compensating shareholders was the stumbling block. Just as valid then as now.
When you look at the expertise & processes of MBN & Reseller staff & management you can only shake your head. Clearly they are not up to the job.