First Geraldton premises hit NBN copper cut-off D-Day this week

iiNet reports that the first premises in Geraldton this week hit a Deadline Day for disconnecting their copper telephone lines as part of the compulsory migration to the NBN.
 
This Friday, July 10, about 1900 homes and businesses in Geraldton and Beachlands reach the copper disconnection deadline. This means anyone who has not placed an order for an NBN service will have their phone lines disconnected within 10 working days. To date, Perth and Mandurah are the only WA locations to reach the disconnection deadline.

iiNet is a national provider of NBN services, with more than 60,000 customers already using the NBN.

iiNet NBN Product Manager Rachael McIntyre

iiNet NBN Product Manager Rachael McIntyre said the 1900 homes and businesses in Geraldton and Beachlands were the first premises in the town to reach the disconnection deadline. “Consumers need to act quickly," she said.

"While their phone and Internet services may not stop working on that date, they will within days, so it really is time for people to upgrade to the NBN. Households or businesses still relying on the old phone network need to choose either to switch across to the NBN or to go mobile-only.

“Already iiNet has more than 60,000 residential and business customers using the NBN, enjoying much faster Internet access speeds and competitive prices, so there’s nothing scary about making this move.”

Since May last year, NBN has progressively announced areas in Australia that have reached the deadline for ageing copper telephone networks to be disconnected permanently as part of the move to the NBN. More than 140,000 premises throughout Australia have reached the disconnection deadline so far this year - more than twice as many as in all of last year.

Rachael McIntyre said people who had not yet moved to the NBN needed to make decisions. “Firstly, they must choose whether they want an Internet access service, a phone service or both,” she said.

“Secondly, if they use services such as faxes, monitored security alarms, Priority Assistance Services or EFTPOS terminals, they need to speak to the providers of these services to confirm they work on the NBN.

“The third step is to select the NBN Retail Service Provider, like iiNet, that best meets their needs, in terms of product, pricing and customer service. People do need make the choice. We really want to ensure they don’t risk losing their phone and Internet service before they get the NBN connected.”

Click here for answers to frequently asked questions about the NBN copper cutoff deadline