National Broadband Network rollout causing headaches in Wagga

For almost two months after the NBN was installed, Julie Morrison had phone calls drop out, forcing her to use her mobile phone to finish calls.

“We were cut off numerous times while having a conversation and sometimes we had no dial tone,” Mrs Morrison said.

“Deferring the connection to NBN until the glitches and problems have been ironed out is a good idea, I’m sorry we didn’t wait.”

Despite being touted as a passport to the digital millennium, less than half of Australian households have activated their connections to the new technology.

Recent research has shown 80 per cent of fixed broadband consumers are confused by the jargon around speeds offered by retail service providers such as Telstra and Optus, but even less clear for elderly people was the requirement to switch to the NBN.

According to an NBN spokeswoman, homes and businesses have 18 months to make the transition after it becomes available to them before the existing phone network is decommissioned.

“Parts of Wagga will progressively start to disconnect the legacy network from February 2018,” she said. “NBN also mails residents and businesses well in advance of the disconnection date to ensure they transfer their services over in time.”

However, Wagga resident Elizabeth Raulston said she was surprised to get a letter about her pending NBN connection.

Mrs Raulston has never owned a computer and thought there would be no need to switch to the NBN, but on January 23 her phone went dead.

“A week before I was cut off I got a letter about my NBN order, but I never placed an order,” she said. “It took three weeks of chasing around to get my phone connection back.”

Anyone experiencing problems with the NBN should contact their retailer, the spokeswoman said.