Play your part so it’s easy for everyone to connect
nbn’s purpose is to help lift the digital capability of Australia by connecting homes and businesses across the nation and providing access to the positive social and economic benefits enabled by access to a secure digital backbone.
The nbn network currently touches more than 17 million people every day, with more than 8.5 million homes and businesses currently connected and 12.1 million premises Ready to Connect.
So, when you move somewhere new, reconnecting to broadband services via the fast, secure and reliable nbn network should be quick and easy as, in most cases, an nbn service will already have been installed.
For some, though, the vital equipment needed to do this is nowhere to be found.
Where’s the nbn equipment?
Unfortunately, when some customers move premises, they err on the side of caution and take nbn supplied equipment with them in the mistaken belief it will be needed to reconnect to the nbn network at their new place.
This is not the case – the nbn supplied equipment may only work at the location it was originally installed.
Joe Lathan, Executive General Manager, Customer Experience and Products at nbn, says removing nbn installed equipment can have a negative impact for customers – the installation time for the next residents to connect to the nbn network will take longer than it needs to.
“Imagine you move into your new house, and you get your electricity and gas switched on immediately and you expect the same for your broadband, but it then takes four to five days for a device to be sent to you because the last person accidentally took it.
“How frustrating is that?”
What’s mine, what’s yours?
With different technologies and devices used to connect to the nbn network, in addition to those that may be supplied by an internet provider, it’s not always obvious which device is which and who it belongs to.
This problem is particularly acute for customers whose homes are connected to the nbn network via Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) and Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) technologies.
These technology types have free-standing devices (a connection box known as a Network Termination Device) that can inadvertently be physically disconnected, packed up and moved.
So much so, a large number of reconnection orders for HFC and FTTC then end up needing a replacement device.
“That comes at a huge, avoidable cost and results in delays for the next residents trying to get their services connected,” explains Joe.
“If the device stays where it should be then the next person connecting there can get their service set up very quickly.”
How to identify nbn equipment
Environmental impacts
Unnecessarily removing nbn equipment can also have an environmental impact.
At nbn, we know we are going to be around for a long time and that’s why we take sustainability seriously – it’s all about looking after people and the environment so we hand down a healthy planet to our children.
So, we want to do whatever we can to avoid nbn equipment ending up in landfill.
“We can usually refurbish and reuse these devices so if you do have a device that you shouldn’t, then returning them to nbn is a great way for us to save the planet from increasing landfill.”
How to return equipment to us
Rather than throw out nbn equipment you don’t need, you can return it directly to us so it can be used for its original purpose – to connect Australians to fast, secure and reliable broadband.
“We have an agreement with Australia Post for devices to be sent back to us with a label you can access online, at no cost to customers,” says Joe.
“It’s very simple and easy.”