Research urged before switching to NBN

About 1900 homes and businesses in Margaret River can now switch to the National Broadband Network, with another 2000 premises in Prevelly, Gnarabup, and nearby to switch on in coming weeks.

NBN media officer Ebony Aitken said 560 premises on the outskirts of town were already on fixed wireless, and more remote houses were on satellite.

She said the faster broadband would give residents better entertainment, education, and opportunities to work from home.

“Businesses will be able to improve their productivity through cloud-based sharing with staff and customers as well as have increased opportunities to access new markets through e-commerce,” she said.

“It’s vital that people understand that switching to the NBN network is not automatic and they need to contact their preferred provider to place an order for their new internet and phone services.”

Independent NBN adviser Mike Hendry said residents should ask service providers about speed before switching.

He urged residents and business owners to prepare early to avoid delays and confusion over line speed ahead of the switch from outdated copper networks.

In workshops, Mr Hendry highlighted service speeds and a lengthy turnaround for businesses wanting to make the move as potential issues.

Mr Hendry said a download speed of at least 25Mbps was needed for fast broadband and factors like modem placement, distance from nodes and type of technology could affect speeds.

Visit www.nbn.com.au for more.