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NewsTwo things all FiftyUps should know about the NBN
Two things all FiftyUps should know about the NBN

Two things all FiftyUps should know about the NBN

Tags: Telco & Broadband
Last updated by Kayley Harris on

There is so much happening that FiftyUps need to know about in the telco space at the moment, it’s hard to know where to start.

But because it affects all of us to some degree, it’s important to understand what it means for you…

Let’s break it down into two categories, those who use data and those who don’t.

YES I USE DATA

Here’s what you guys need to know. Following mass complaints about speeds, Telcos have reduced their NBN prices, with some customers saving an average of $120 a year.

Most major NBN providers have announced cheaper prices for plans with speeds of 50 Mbps or more and some smaller players are planning to introduce a 50 Mbps product in coming months.

Anthony Klan from The Australian reports 80% of people connected to the NBN are currently on 25 Mbps or slower plans

Kenny McGilvary from comparison site Whistleout, said “We would strongly recommend that any NBN users currently on a 25 plan contact their provider to request a free upgrade to [a 50 Mbps speed], since 50 plans are now being sold at 25 prices.

Be cautious though about signing up long-term with any telco right now since you'll be locked in for a long time and pricing will keep changing.

Here are WhistleOut’s top NBN plans on the 50Mbps speed:

NO I DON’T USE DATA

Many golden oldies still use a landline as their connection to the outside world. Family and friends of the same demographic still call on it and it’s even used to book medical appointments and get the correct time via the speaking clock! (The number is 1194 by the way and his name is George)

But when the NBN comes to your area, you have 18months until the copper cable is disconnected, creating problems for some older people.

Tech guru Trevor Long from EFTM.com.au says “One of the most confusing points for our over 50's - some of whom just "don't want the NBN" but in fact what they are saying is they don't want the internet. They don't realise that to get a landline phone you need an NBN service of some kind.”

Trevor says “In this day and age, where unlimited calls and texts are available on almost all mobile plans, it makes sense to use a mobile instead of a landline.”

And there are services bridging the gap such as myhomephone

If you’re worried about losing that landline, be assured that the NBN sends up to five letters to each home warning of the disconnection and additional correspondence will be sent by your telco provider. If you receive one of these letters, talk to your telco.

Remember, the NBN replaces all existing telecommunications networks.

Here’s a collection of the cheapest NBN plans form WhistleOut:

 

Originally posted on .

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Someone
Someone from VIC commented:

Love your humour Kaley. How does all this sit with VOIP phones or are these now obsolete? Our exchange couldn't even handle naked DSL. 

Lyn
Lyn from NSW commented:

There has been no NBN activity in my suburb - Outer western Sydney - and I was told the other day that it is no longer necessary for cables to be laid to the house for NBN connection. it can happen via some sort of central installation beaming to houses in the immediate area. Is this correct and if so what are the speeds and reliability likely to be? Will it still offer different suppliers or will it be owned by one company. Lyn from NSW 

Alan
Alan from VIC commented:

My phone and cable broadband package with Optus always produces a download speed of approx. 95 Mbps so why am I going to be forced to use an inferior NBN service at greater cost? Alan 

Neil
Neil from NSW commented:

Hi Kayley. Thank you for all your advice that I have been following since I joined Fifty Up Club. Have you looked at the telco TPG. I have been with them for years now. They now have two new plans, one is 42.8 mbs for $69.99 p/m and the other is 66.2 mbs for $89.99 p/m. I have been on their 11.1 mbs at $59.99 per month since we were connected to NBN and have had no problems. 11.1 mbs is fast enough for us and I check the speed regularly and am always at 10 mbs or over. Thank you for everything the Fifty Up Club does. Neil Hodges. 

Veronica
Veronica from NSW commented:

Thank you so much for that Anonymous NSW, I will keep that in mind, the NBN hasnt been connected to us yet and Im not looking forward to it either... 

Veronica
Veronica from NSW commented:

Thank you Anonymous from Qld that will be a relief for her.. 

Robert
Robert from NSW commented:

Well, there was this offer from IInet http://blog.iinet.net.au/good-australian-seniors-cards/ and we thought it sounded pretty good so signed up. Then I discovered they DON'T include calls to mobiles which is a bit rich seeing as how all the family are now using their mobiles all the time. We only wanted a landline cause we like the handset when talking for a while and we have handsets thru out the house so as soon as the contract is done I will be looking for a more realistic provider. Liked the sound of the new senior phone but think that the price at $55 a month is a bit steep, wonder if it will get cheaper and will they just fit the sim card in the handset so you can take it to the shops. Bob 

Dana
Dana from QLD commented:

Once the NBN is on in the house, the telephone sockets don't work and apparently the line is disconnected as the phone now goes through the internet. When power is off, internet is off, no phone. Where I live, mobile phone service is minimal to non-existent. What to do in an emergency? Also, I've seen no into as to how to dispose of old telephones that no longer work, old modems, etc. What a waste! What political genius brought us this system? 

Ian
Ian from QLD replied to Dana:

Labor of course! Kevin Rudd in particular. 

Manfred
Manfred from SA replied to Dana:

We are connected to the NBN and we have hard wired telephones, three of them in fact and they are all connected to phone sockets that we had installed before NBN. All that needed to be done was to install a phone socket next to the modem router, connect the router into the phone socket and presto the phones work as per normal, except in power outages. 

Someone
Someone from QLD commented:

I'm on a limited income and will be transferring to the NBN. My home phone is included in a monthly plan at present and I can call my family internationally very cheaply. When I transition to the NBN obviously it won't be available. Is there a way to do this using my mobile that won't break the bank. I know about Skype etc, but my family aren't up with the technology. 

Dana
Dana from QLD commented:

I use a cheap Aussie phone card and it costs 2.5 cents a minute to call most countries overseas. 

martin
martin from QLD commented:

Why is it that Australians are being forced to go backwards to the days of a Monopoly???? We used to have the PMG -which was Post & Telephone, this was split up and became Telstra for telephones. Until Optus came along, it was a Monopoly, then became a Duopoly and we were forced to pay through the nose for communications. Along came the Internet, and we could use things like VoIP for phones at no cost (over the Internet.) Then came some stupid idiot that said we needed a Not a Bloody Network (NBN) and a for over $50 Billion we are being led like lambs to the slaughter to be stuck with another monopolistic monstrosity to become have one of the world's worst slowest and costliest Internet infrastructure! Paid for in part by stealing what little a pensioner received, after Government changed the rules when one retired! (Not as if they did not know about the bulge in the forthcoming aged cohort for the past 50 years) DontTrustThem 

Robert
Robert from NSW replied to martin:

You really should be asking why, under the umbrella of "competition" our own monopolistic Telstra was forced ( by legislation ) to allow access to its national phone network to a myriad of overseas owned companies, most of which only cherry-picked the high population city areas to service. And as for the NBN, it was planned to be a disaster. No business plan, no costing, no nothing. I kept a log of what NBN Co did in my street when the NBN was rolled out. It reads like a comedy - of errors - with a cast of many over many months. And let's not forget that the AFP raided ex communications minister Conroy's residence and removed computers and files relating to the NBN. Through its numbers in the senate, the ALP put a senate block on the data, so we'll probably never find out what the files contain. What is there to hide ? 

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