NBN. What is your experience so far.

[DaveR]

Our experience has not improved.
We are onto the Ombudsman at the suggestion of Telstra, to their credit.
It seems that Telstra is in Battle with the NBN and their Contractor, Vision Stream over the lies stated in the reports made about the multiple tests and repairs to our service, they have been signing it off as all good when it is not.
We have a data log in place which records all the outages our service has. As an idea of how many, we average 13 a day when no one is home. Gets worse if we try to use it. Anyway, whist the data log is in action, vision stream folk have been, tested, and said it is all good, even though it was dropping out at the same time.... Now go figure that out.
This has been a battle since day 1 of the NBN being connected back in Oct 2018. We have called telstra so many times that our calls automatically go to someone in Australia! Can you believe it.... they still exist.
We have unofficially learned why there is a fault, and told it wont be repaired until 2025.
Cool, so they say we're stuck with crap NBN until then, but can't connect back the old system which still works as ALL the neighbors have it still, we have made sure of that.
the battle continues, at least we don't pay for it....

[tryagain]

hmmm, already in the process of upgrading online, to be honest, your current connection sounds like what I have been putting up with for the last several years so don't have much to lose, I am half expecting the technician to come out anyway and say that there has been an error and it's not ready for us to connect yet.

[Bird]

Just double checked and apparently after 18 odd months since the first date passed when I was supposed to have it available, it is now available but I haven't had any notification about it. I'll go through the process of signing up but not getting too excited just yet.

Evo's estate doesnt even have a date as it the estate was built after the 'date allocations' were originally done... that was last time I spoke to him... may have changed now though as he isnt far out of Woodonga, shouldnt be too hard.

[noel_w]

Still happy with my 24M Fixed Wireless connection. Not a gamer or torrenter so no huge use, mainly netflix and youtube but rock solid connection and no drop outs. No up and down speeds like my old adsl2+ where I was virtually next door to the exchange and vary from 1 meg to 16 meg 10 times a minute.
Think I am lucky as I don't think there are many subs on my node though it has been active for 18 months now.

[Bunyip]

Still happy with my 24M Fixed Wireless connection. Not a gamer or torrenter so no huge use, mainly netflix and youtube but rock solid connection and no drop outs. No up and down speeds like my old adsl2+ where I was virtually next door to the exchange and vary from 1 meg to 16 meg 10 times a minute.
Think I am lucky as I don't think there are many subs on my node though it has been active for 18 months now.

I think you are very lucky, my fixed wireless fluctuates between 1 and 4 Mbps as the tower is over subscribed by 300% from some reports. Drops are not uncommon either, Netflix is about the only streaming service that doesn't buffer.

[Bird]

https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/03/strewth-aussie-broadband-has-smashed-its-nbn-plans-by-20-a-month/

[Banjo16]

Can't complain, I think it's a bit faster then what we had before but seeing it's been at least 5 years I can't remember.
Friend who was connected at the same time had to replace his battery last year, mines still going strong.

[Redback]

Better than what we had before, not hard though as it was ADSL, could have been so much better if we adopted the original plan like New Zealand did, Abbot and Turnbull should be hung by the balls

[Bird]

Better than what we had before, not hard though as it was ADSL, could have been so much better if we adopted the original plan like New Zealand did, Abbot and Turnbull should be hung by the balls

Didnt know the burgh had electricity - gee.. its come a long way since i was there last   Wendy was saying its really changed in last 5 yrs

[Redback]

Didnt know the burgh had electricity - gee.. its come a long way since i was there last   Wendy was saying its really changed in last 5 yrs

Not that much really in the 13yrs we've been there, a few duplexs going up but that's about it, only real change was they closed the workers club and moved it to the old bowling club, combined now.

[tryagain]

Look like I finally have it so far getting about 17-20Mbps which is much better than the 0-3Mbps we use to get!

[DaveR]

5 months...... and counting.
They still can't make it work.....

[Bird]

5 months...... and counting.
They still can't make it work.....

Iits all comms companies.

May 28th last year Orange (we are global co, locked into them) disconnected one of our links to the data center in USA - nobody knows who ordered the cut.. but its still down.

[tryagain]

5 months...... and counting.
They still can't make it work.....

I feel your pain, we had years of buck passing and next to useless service all with the threat of them charging a call out fee hanging over anytime you wanted to get them out to check over what was often intermittent issues. I even changed to Telstra just so one company couldn't pass the buck to another and back again.

Might be worth going to the ombudsman in your case, I knew ours wasn't going to get better until the NBN as they weren't going to be spending money on something that was scheduled to be replaced. In you case though I would be escalating it as much as I could.

[noel_w]

Abbot and Turnbull should be hung by the balls

Amen to that 

[tryagain]

Better than what we had before, not hard though as it was ADSL, could have been so much better if we adopted the original plan like New Zealand did, Abbot and Turnbull should be hung by the balls

Not against the hanging, but if the cost and time taken to get their simpler rollout done was then made more involved with FTTN for every premise then the cost would be even more astronomical and the wait likely even longer, sure FTTP would be nice, but happy with FTTN and the savings for now. With the way the Mobile data cost is going, it won't be long before there is similarly priced plans to those offered on the NBN for mobile data, 4G speeds are already similar to what's available on the NBN. 5G which Telstra is starting to roll out will be even faster. The backbone for it all will still be the NBN, but I think the need for faster than copper wired connections to actual households doesn't really exist yet, but if and when it does it will be able to be easily met by mobile data.

[glenm64]

Not against the hanging, but if the cost and time taken to get their simpler rollout done was then made more involved with FTTN for every premise then the cost would be even more astronomical and the wait likely even longer

Not necessarily so. The cost of mixed technologies in the NBN is the problem operationally, financially and logistically. The copper section of the NBN network restricts future network capabilities and causes and costs the NBN. The cost per premise of FTTP was and still is over stated. They didn't and still don't take into account actual reductions in FTTP costs, which have reduced by over 40% as technologies develop. End of roll out costs will actually be higher with the mixed technologies than what a pure FTTP would cost. The on going operating costs of mixed technologies of the NBN makes the value much less if it is sold than what it would be if it was purely FTTP.
If you really want an insight into what a dogs breakfast we've ended up with have a look at this. its an hour long Senate hearing on NBN of Mike Quigley the first CEO of NBN, and a life long telco executive, giving an insight of the problems that do and will plague this model NBN we know have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWFvcl_imHc

[tryagain]

Not necessarily so. The cost of mixed technologies in the NBN is the problem operationally, financially and logistically. The copper section of the NBN network restricts future network capabilities and causes and costs the NBN. The cost per premise of FTTP was and still is over stated. They didn't and still don't take into account actual reductions in FTTP costs, which have reduced by over 40% as technologies develop. End of roll out costs will actually be higher with the mixed technologies than what a pure FTTP would cost. The on going operating costs of mixed technologies of the NBN makes the value much less if it is sold than what it would be if it was purely FTTP.
If you really want an insight into what a dogs breakfast we've ended up with have a look at this. its an hour long Senate hearing on NBN of Mike Quigley the first CEO of NBN, and a life long telco executive, giving an insight of the problems that do and will plague this model NBN we know have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWFvcl_imHc

I haven't watched it but have read some of his criticisms and am happy to admit to him knowing far more than I do, I do however remember that there was already plenty of time and cost blowouts whilst he was at the helm so it's a bit of the pot calling the kettle black from my perspective, it was under his watch that the shambles in Tas unfolded that lead to the Coalition to promising to review the rollout as it was costing double the NBN predictions.
The original proposal for the NBN was going to be for $15B the cost then rose to $40B and they then went to tender, they then rejected the tenders due too the prices being "Unacceptably High" (ie significantly more than the $40B, maybe those 14 private companies knew something  )
It's been a balls up since day 1 with neither side of politics blameless, but I usually found those who claim that Labour was going to build it better for less delusional

[glenm64]

Have a look and get an understanding of what happened, and the issues that arose from politics taking center stage over what was in this countries best interests.
Mike Quigley isnt Labor or Liberal. He built telecommunication networks from the ground up all over the world for a living. Came home to help nation build, then they changed the goal posts.

[tryagain]

Have a look and get an understanding of what happened, and the issues that arose from politics taking center stage over what was in this countries best interests.
Mike Quigley isnt Labor or Liberal. He built telecommunication networks from the ground up all over the world for a living. Came home to help nation build, then they changed the goal posts.

Had a look (at 2x speed) and is pretty much the same that I have read before, he is clearly a very capable individual, the bit's where I see part of what he says fall down is, that it was slow due to unforeseen issues, but to then believe him that the rest of the rollout would be OK.
One of the main reasons it came into review was the poor performance up until that point, both from a cost and timeframe perspective. Now, of course, someone in his position is always going to say that they were about to turn the corner but the reality is we will never know for sure, based on the continual blowouts up to that point in time, I don't think it is unreasonable to question those assertions.
I am not necessarily opposed to his view that FTTP would have been a better long term value proposition, as that may have some merit, I do however find the, "we could have built it quicker and cheaper" hard to believe, not backed up by the track record up to his departure, and not really espoused by to many others of note.   

[paceman]

He built telecommunication networks from the ground up all over the world for a living. Came home to help nation build, then they changed the goal posts.

curious to know where exactly he did the 'build networks from the ground up'...

he may have worked for/ran telecomms companies, but i can't see much experience in actually building national telecomms infrastructure... 

and in any case, building it in australia, regardless of politics, is hugely different to most 1st world countries...

IMO, I don’t think he was up for the job and didn’t have the experience in dealing with the technical challenges that the NBN build faced, interfering politicians not withstanding...

And there is no way that either party could have built a full FTTP national network on time and even close to budget.

Private enterprise would struggle with that build in Australia... let alone our incompetent politicians on both sides...

I am a FTTP supporter and saw it as a very important piece of national infrastructure... ruined by people who have no idea how to do much of anything any more...

[chester ver2.0]

Well apparently it is coming at the end of the month

[Fizzie]

5 months...... and counting.
They still can't make it work.....

Sorry to hear you're having so many drama's Dave

Just saw mention on Whirlpool of the best way to complain about NBN problems

https://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/NBN_complaint_guide

Have a read through that lot & follow the steps - quite a few people there have said that it worked for them after months of waiting!

[GeoffA]

....FTTP would be nice....

It is indeed....

[Bunyip]

Apparently they are upgrading the infrastructure in the Derwent Valley.
Scheduled for the 12/03, told that was postponed evening of the 12/03.
Hear nothing, now internet out today.
Depending on who you listen to the outage will last:
- 7:00am to 11:00am (Currently 2:00pm and still going
- Should be back by 21st March
- Should be back by 24th March
- Should be back by 28th March

Of course the Telstra outage website says no issues.

They need to do upgrades, that is not an issue. Giving some warning would allow small businesses to plan for the outage.