Many of us are hanging out for the day when the National Broadband Network (NBN) first becomes available in our areas, but the network has just passed a different milestone: it has set a switch-off date for the copper network in those locations where NBN fibre is already well-established.
An 18-month countdown to switch-off commences on November 23 2012, which gives a final date of May 23, 2014. On that date, copper services passing approximately 25,000 premises will be switched off. You won’t be forced to connect to the NBN if you don’t want to, but you won’t be able to stick with the copper status quo in those areas. There are plenty of choices for NBN providers.
For reference, these are the main areas affected and the number of premises that have been passed. Self-evidently, this doesn’t cover every household in those locations: if the NBN hasn’t been connected in your street and you live in one of these towns, the 18-month cut-off won’t apply.
| Location | Premises passed |
|---|---|
| Armidale NSW | 5400 |
| Brunswick Vic | 2900 |
| Deloraine Tas | 1300 |
| George Town Tas | 2300 |
| Kiama NSW | 2400 |
| Kingston Beach Tas | 1000 |
| Sorell Tas | 1300 |
| South Morang Vic | 2300 |
| St Helens Tas | 2200 |
| Townsville Qld | 2900 |
| Triabunna Tas | 500 |
| Willunga SA | 1100 |
Clearly, consumer choice is overrated. Dear Sir, would you like the NBN or the NBN?
There's still the choice of cellular voice/data. But why wouldn't you want the NBN? It's just as cheap and much faster than copper.
Clearly you are a twit. For the better part of the last century would you like copper or copper?
But now you do!
Sadly it seems you are actually claiming that maintaining an ageing copper network for those people who might prefer it over fibre optics as something good because it promotes consumer choice.
We were on the NBn in point cook and having to go outside into the fibre cabinet to reset the modem twice a week to get Internet and phone working was out of control.
I'd be following up with your ISP sounds like a hardware fault not so much the NBN
Errr... wut?
You must have some sort of hinkey setup then dude, you shouldn't have to go outside to do anything with the NBN, your ONT should be inside, plugged into a power point!
Lucky Buggers!
I know this NBN will only lead to more online commercials.