by KeyTech | Feb 22, 2017 | Communications, NBN compatible phone systems
Once your copper has been replaced with optic fibre, you are only able to connect through the NBN.
WHEN salespeople start knocking at your door to announce the arrival of the National Broadband Network in your area, there’s one important thing you should know – you can’t say no to the NBN.
Despite being one of the most talked about infrastructure projects in recent times, it seems many Australians are still in the dark about the NBN.
An online survey found 58 per cent of Australians had no idea of the repercussions of being in an NBN-ready area.
“The NBN project has been mired in controversy and has seen frequent redesigns, so it’s no wonder many Australians aren’t in tune with all its ins and outs,” Angus Kidman, technology expert and editor-in-chief at finder.com.au said.
“Many people don’t realise their existing internet service will be cut off if they don’t connect to the NBN once it has been made available at their house.
“Both your phone line and internet will be disconnected. If you’re running a business, this can be really inconvenient even if it’s just for a few days.”
Installations are expected to ramp up, with all Australians expected to be able to access the NBN within three years – by 2020.
So it’s time to get savvy, here’s what you need to know.
YOU CAN’T SAY NO
If you want a home phone service – not just internet – you need the NBN.
Once your home or workplace is NBN-ready, you will have 18 months at most to subscribe to an NBN plan before your phone line and internet will be disconnected.
However, in some areas (mainly apartment buildings in urban areas) third-party players such as TPG and others, will offer rival internet services so NBN does not have a total monopoly.
For those living in rural areas that are too remote to get fibre, an interim satellite will shut down on February 28, and they must switch to Sky Muster if they want to continue getting internet.
YOU WILL HAVE MANY OPTIONS
Those people knocking on your door will likely be salespeople from retailers like Optus, Telstra and iiNet offering plans for you to connect to the NBN.
This is because the NBN Co provides the service, but doesn’t actually sell broadband interest services to households.
More than 50 retail service providers are currently offering different plans at different prices so there’s plenty of choice.
Picking which one to go with is probably one of the most difficult decisions you will have to make as choosing a cheaper plan may deliver slower speeds.
Many people don’t realise their speeds are also limited by where their homes are, and how they connect to the NBN.
During recent consultation, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found many consumers were confused about what speeds they could get, and weren’t getting what they thought they were signing up for.
It’s a good idea to compare plans before you sign up to an NBN provider.Source:News Corp Australia
NOT EVERYONE WILL BE ABLE TO GET THE SAME SPEEDS
Connecting to the NBN using copper wires via the Fibre-To-The-Node technology will slow down their speeds and many are not aware how much of difference this makes.
At the moment the top speed offered by retailers is 100/40. This means you can download 100 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload 40 Mbps.
But if you are located more than 400m metres away from the “node”, which is essentially a cabinet where the copper meets the fibre optic cable, your maximum speeds will drop.
Those up to 800m metres away will probably only be able to get a maximum of 50 Mbps, and those even further away are looking at 25 Mbps.
You will not be able to get higher speeds than this, no matter which company you sign up with.
Technically, retailers are not supposed to sell you a faster contract if you are too far away from a node to get higher speeds, but this has happened.
Your home’s distance from the node is something you will have to check with the retailers as they don’t automatically tell you.
Even if you think you are close to a node (because you can see a cabinet close by), it doesn’t mean this is the node that you are connected to.
BE CAREFUL WHEN CHOOSING A CONTRACT
Everyone’s internet speeds will impacted by the plan that you sign up to as each company decides how much bandwidth they want to buy on the NBN network.
If the company you sign with doesn’t buy that much bandwidth (to save money), speeds can be a lot slower during peak times when there’s more demand.
Some people have complained of speeds dropping to 3 Mbps during peak times and top speeds promised may only be achieved at quiet times — like 3am.
The problem is, most companies don’t reveal what their real internet speeds are, saying only that you can get “up to” certain speeds.
If you want to get a better idea of who offers the best speeds, the Google Video Quality Report, shows the YouTube video performance over the 24-hour period for different providers, while Netflix’s ISP Speed Index can give you an idea of which retailers have the fastest speeds for their service.
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network also has a fact sheet to help guide people through the process.
Finder.com.au has a broadband comparison tool that shows providers in your area, and how much their plans are.
SPEEDS MAY IMPROVE AFTER 18 MONTHS
An NBN spokesman said customers may get higher speeds 18 months after getting NBN because the network does not operate at full power initially to avoid interference issues with existing ADSL services.
“When an area has fully switched over to NBN Fibre-To-The-Node services we will then turn the VDSL connection up to full power — this should increase potential lines speeds by between 5-10 Mbps,” he said.
Source: Chris Chang
by KeyTech | Feb 21, 2017 | Business Communications Solutions, Communications, NBN compatible phone systems, Telecommunications
by KeyTech | Jan 18, 2017 | Communications, NBN compatible phone systems
NBN warns there will be disruptions as it takes rollout to Australian cities in 2017
NBN will begin rolling out its network to cities including Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart, Fremantle, and the Gold Coast, with the company warning of disruptions as it needs to access existing infrastructure.
This will cause some interruption in connectivity in larger scales.
The company rolling out Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN) has warned of possible civil works disruptions after announcing that it will begin extending fibre and cable broadband into major cities this year.
Much of the disruption will occur as NBN needs to gain access to pits and existing infrastructure within high-density cities.
“As the NBN network rolls out into cities, we will be met with new problems to solve,” NBN CEO Bill Morrow said.
“We understand there will be some disruption for residents and business owners as the 14,000 people working across NBN and our delivery partners complete the task as soon as possible.
Some of the cities in which NBN will begin construction or switch on its network are Sydney, Campbelltown, the Hills District, Warringah, and Randwick, New South Wales; Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Hobart and Devonport, Tasmania; Fremantle and Bassendean, Western Australia; Salisbury and Onkaparinga, South Australia; and Moonee Valley City, Boroondara City, Casey City, Glen Eira City, and Knox City, Victoria.
In terms of further disruption, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) published research in December revealing that the process of becoming connected to the NBN is adversely affecting 43 percent of businesses.
Just 22 percent of businesses said the NBN connection process was smooth, while the most common complaint from businesses was “ongoing service issues”, according to the ACMA.
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) also revealed in November that consumer complaints about the NBN doubled during 2015-16, up to 13,406 complaints.
“We saw nearly a 100 percent increase in the number of NBN-related complaints this year, but the rate of growth is lower than the growth of active services,” Ombudsman Judi Jones said.
“Delays in connections to the network, faults including unusable services, and dropout of services were regularly reported, which is of concern.”
The TIO said the increase in complaints was “expected” due to the accelerating NBN rollout.
The most complaints about NBN services were in relation to connections, including connection delays and missed appointments; and faults, including slow data speeds, dropouts, and unusable services.
NBN also announced on Wednesday that the network is due to “almost” reach its halfway point by June 30, with 5.4 million premises expected to be able to connect by then.
Source: ZD Net
by KeyTech | Sep 2, 2014 | NBN compatible phone systems, Telecommunications, VoIP Phone System
Published 2014/09/02
With the roll-out of the National Broadband Network (NBN) and the increasing internet capability it brings nationwide we’re seeing an increase in VOIP phone systems in small and medium Brisbane business.
For the uninitiated VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, or in more common terms your phone service over the Internet. VOIP has become common place thanks to such services as Skype, Viber and even FaceTime for Apple users with VoIP Phone Systems becoming widely adopted by small and medium business.
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Using a cloud-based service means
With VOIP, analogue voice calls are converted into packets of data which travel in the same fashion as other data packets such as texts and e-mail – over the Internet. Depending on your service this may be sent via the public internet and/or a private Internet Protocol (IP) network.
How VoIP Works: At a Glance
- An Internet connection of reasonable quality is required before you can get your phone service delivered through an Internet connection.
- A VoIP phone system will enable your business to make and receive calls using landline telephones, at least, only requiring an analogue telephone adapter connected to your network.
- A VoIP service will enable you to call landline, cell phones, and also computer-to-computer, with both parties using microphones and speakers (or headsets) connected to their computer.
- VoIP services reduce the amount of equipment a business needs to own and maintain for their phone system.
- A VoIP phone system will deliver the best Quality of Service (QoS) and security on a private IP network; this is because you can prioritize voice over other types of traffic on your network.
What Equipment Will My Business Need For A VoIP Phone System?
For a basic VoIP system, all you need is a broadband Internet connection and an adapter can convert your existing business phone system to handle VoIP capabilities; a computer with VoIP software would also suffice, however in its basic form this would not be integrated with your current phone system.
Advantages of a VoIP Phone System for Your Business
Lower Costs – You’ll save money and introduce cost certainty through bundling your voice and data lines deliver cheaper call rates on VoIP while maintaining call redundancy in case voice or data service issues.
Flexible – You can easily add, move, or change phone extensions and locations, which saves money and gives you more flexibility.
Scalable – VoIP services are provided via a data network (internet) rather than voice, so there is greater scope for increasing or reducing the number of phone lines to your business.
Portable – Your workforce can use your communications system from home or on the road.
Feature Packed – Wireless IP phones connect users to your communications system and data resources, such as customer information, while they’re in the warehouse, on the sales floor, or anywhere they can access your data network wirelessly.
Image sourced from fineartamerica
Disadvantages of a VoIP Phone System for Your Business
Call Quality – As noted above, the best Quality of Service (QoS) is best delivered over a private IP network where you can prioritize where your data is allocated.
Security – Being an internet based service VoIP phones are can be susceptible to attacks. A private IP network can address security concerns.
Dependent on Power – The modem, router, PC and other associated VoIP hardware requires a power source to function, in the event of a blackout your VoIP devices would be unable to work. For businesses who depend on their telecommunications a combination of voice and data would provide a redundancy.
Is VoIP the same as Unified Communications?
VoIP refers to a basic Internet-based telephony system. Unified communications solutions for small businesses go beyond basic VoIP capabilities in enhancing collaboration.
What is Unified Communications?
Unified Communications (UC) is the integration of real-time communication services such as instant messaging (chat), presence information, telephony (including IP telephony), video conferencing, desktop sharing, data sharing (including web connected electronic interactive whiteboards), call control and speech recognition with non-real-time communication services such as unified messaging (integrated voicemail, e-mail, SMS and fax). UC is not necessarily a single product, but a set of products that provides a consistent unified user-interface and user-experience across multiple devices and media-types
Have a question about a VoIP Phone System for your business? Add it to the comments box below and we’ll answer it. To stay up to date with the latest articles connect with us directly on LinkedIn and Google+.
by KeyTech | Aug 14, 2014 | NBN compatible phone systems, Telecommunications
Have you had a call from a sales person informing you that your Business Phone System is not compatible with the new NBN network? Or will cease to work once copper services have been cut?
A number of Key Technologies clients have phoned in recently to confirm similar claims, and with a quick check we were able to confirm in all instances that their current business phone systems were in fact NBN compatible.
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We didn’t have to search too far to learn other Brisbane businesses have also been on the receiving end of such calls; here is a post from Whirlpool (Australian internet and technology discussion forums)…
“Just had a phone rep call into my business. Advised the NBN was not far away (no dates yet) and that if we didn’t replace the existing PSTN phone system, we’d be without phones. Advised that there is no adapter/converter to enable the existing system to work with the NBN (panasonic system)
…but a quick phone call and a bit of searching and it seems I was being outright lied to. Hate these kinds of tactics.”
Whirlpool Forums
Business Phone Systems and NBN Compatibility
A common misconception is that only business I.P. phone systems are upgradable to the NBN, and that ISDN and PSTN phone systems are not. Less reputable phone providers are leveraging this misconception in order to sell unsuspecting Brisbane businesses a completely new phone system, even though their existing phone system is NBN network compatible.
If you have received a similar call and are unsure whether you will be left without a working phone system, or want to take advantage of the NBN roll out – contact one of our friendly team to discuss your available options.
Our ‘Done-For-You’ motto means we make switching to the NBN easy!
If you choose to connect to the NBN with us, let us know and we’ll do the rest – including managing your installation appointment schedules and any communications.
Feel free to share your experiences in the comments box below, or connect with the Key Technologies team directly on LinkedIn and Google+.
