Month: March 2022

The team at Better Internet for Rural, Regional & Remote Australia (BIRRR) welcomes today’s announcement of a joint investment by the Australian Government and NBN Co into regional connectivity.

BIRRR has hailed the investment, which includes a range of key upgrades and enhancements to the nbn Fixed Wireless and Satellite networks in the regions, as ‘transformative’ for regional broadband users.

Co-Founder of the BIRRR group, Kristy Sparrow, said the investment should greatly improve bush broadband offerings, with the announcements coming as the result of eight years of volunteer advocacy to ensure regional Australians have access to affordable, reliable and adequate connectivity.

The proposal made by NBN Co today include a wide-range of enhancements and upgrades, including:

• Enhancements to nbn Sky Muster Plus plans (beginning mid-2022) will see ‘Plus’ users able to have full use of their connection, without data limit constraint, from 12 midnight through to 4pm (offering an unlimited experience which includes VPN and video streaming that have previously been limited). Metered data allowances (VPN and video) will only be measured 4pm-midnight.
• For regular nbn Sky Muster plans, nbn will double average monthly allowances on their ‘fair use’ policy from 45GB to 90GB. This will be made possible with busy satellite beams ‘deloaded’ by approximately 25,000 active satellite customers (who will be moved to nbn Fixed Wireless connections).
• The nbn Fixed Wireless footprint will be extended (selected towers) from 14 to 29 km, creating a 50% bigger Fixed Wireless footprint reaching 720,000 residences (allowing an extra 120,000 addresses added to the nbn Fixed Wireless footprint).
• Speeds will increase significantly on nbn co Fixed Wireless services – customers will see an increase to typical speeds (100mbps/20mbps) and an increase to typical busy hour speeds of at least 50Mbps. It is also anticipated that 85% of the footprint will be able to order speeds of up to 250mbps.

“The upgrades within the $750 million package will be transformative for regional Australians, ensuring they have access to broadband options that meet their needs now and into the future. Future-proofing connectivity in RRR areas by adopting and funding solutions that plan for future growth and investment
in our regions will ensure that RRR regions are not disadvantaged due to their population and postcode.” Kristy said.

BIRRR’s data analyst, Dr Rachel Hay (James Cook University) said that some of BIRRR’s top advocacy ‘wish list’ items were an expansion of the nbn Fixed Wireless coverage footprint and an increase to upload speeds, as well as making more data available to satellite users during school and business hours.

“BIRRR submitted an extensive list of recommendations for improvements to regional connectivity in our 2021 Regional Telecommunications Review (RTIRC) submission and we are delighted to see some of our wishlist come to fruition.

“The upgrades to connectivity will enable scalable change across a range of regional sectors including business, agriculture, health and education, as well as supporting community growth and resilience,” Dr Hay stated.

Ms Sparrow described the changes as ‘exciting and much-needed’, particularly noting that nbn Sky Muster Plus users will be able to freely use their connections for the majority of the day for everything they need to do online, for the very first time since nbn Sky Muster was launched.

“We have been working with nbn co for a number of years towards further enhancements to their networks – I believe they have described our advocacy as ‘tenacious’,” she said. nbn co Chief Development Officer – Regional & Remote, Gavin Williams has credited the move towards these upgrades to the advocacy of passionate regional lobby groups, federal government funding and the nbn team of network engineers who will use 5G enabled technology to vastly extend the range, speed and capacity of its existing Fixed Wireless network. The upgrades will begin taking effect mid 2022 and are expected to be fully rolled out over the next two years.

“We look forward to these transformative upgrades and enhancements being rolled out as quickly as possible to provide much-needed access to better broadband in the bush. BIRRR would like to particularly thank the nbn local regional team for listening to our feedback and recommendations and to the Federal Government for their significant investment.”

Be part of BIRRR by joining their Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/BIRRR
or viewing their advocacy work on their website – www.birrraus.com

Media Contact: Kristy Sparrow
0429853482
birrraus@gmail.com

*nbn co will use the funding to 5G-enable its network of more than 2,200 Fixed Wireless infrastructure sites and more than 22,000 cells in semi-rural areas and across regional and remote Australia. nbn will use the latest 5G
technology to vastly extend the range, speed and capacity of its existing Fixed Wireless network, while reducing latency to deliver the best possible customer experience. (nbn media release, 22/3/22)

nbn

Ongoing updates can also be found on the nbn Twitter account @NBN_Australia. You do not need a Twitter account to access these updates.

NBN Co said it will provide financial relief for the benefit of end customers in communities in New South Wales and Queensland that have been affected by floods. The promise came as NBN Co calculated that around 112,000 services were affected by the floods as of yesterday. In a message to RSPs yesterday, NBN Co said: “We intend to provide funding direct to Retail Service Providers to support each of your respective Flood Relief Packages for end customers who experienced an outage of their NBN network service. We expect to provide the details of the financial relief funding in the coming days, including how RSPs can access the Flood Relief Funding and the ways in which it can be applied for your customers.” (Communications Day 4/3/2022 https://www.commsday.com/)

Severe weather affecting Queensland

• 5 March at 9.47am AEST
• We continue to restore the nbn™ network across flood-affected areas of South East Queensland. Within the last two days, 107 sites and 7,818 services to homes and businesses have been recovered.
• There are currently around 20,700 homes and businesses still affected by outages.
• The current outages are primarily due to damage by floodwaters to nbn infrastructure. Areas predominantly affected continue to be in and around Brisbane, Gold Coast, Lockyer Valley, Moreton Bay, Maryborough and Gympie. nbn teams are working as fast as they can on repairs, but these are likely to go into next week.
• The outage impacting Bribie Island due to a collapsed bridge has been resolved via a temporary fix. A permanent fix will begin in the coming weeks.
• Where possible, people in affected areas are encouraged to check the nbn™ outages page regularly and with their retail provider for specific information.
• We’ve been made aware by members of flood-impacted communities that some residents have received phone calls from scammers impersonating nbn and asking for funds to expedite the restoration of their service. Please be aware nbn will never contact customers asking for payment or any other financial information and we urge anyone who receives one of these calls to report it to Scamwatch immediately at http://www.scamwatch.gov.au

More information here and check here for the latest updates https://www.nbnco.com.au/blog/the-nbn-project/severe-weather-affecting-queensland-february-2022

Severe weather affecting New South Wales

• 5 March at 10.53am AEDT
• Due to the recent severe weather event, the number of homes and business impacted by outages on the nbn™ network across Northern NSW is currently around 81,000.
• An outage in Woodburn, which is owned and operated by a third party, is impacting homes and businesses across Tweed Heads, Kingscliff, Currumbin Valley, Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, Ballina, Lennox Head and Evans Head.
• An initial assessment of the damage to the Woodburn site has indicated significant damage to the site and surrounding infrastructure. We are working with the third party provider today, to access the site and determine the damage, with a view to deploy a temporary solution next week, when safe access via road is expected to be available.
• The remainder of customers impacted are around the Grafton and Lismore areas. Assessments to damage are currently being undertaken where it is safe to do so.
• An nbn Sky Muster™ Truck and satellite FlyAway Kit have been deployed to the evacuation centre at the Ballina Coast School, which provides free wi-fi connectivity to the community via the nbn Sky Muster™ satellite service.
• Where possible, people in affected areas are encouraged to check the nbn™ outages page regularly and with their retail provider for specific information.
• We’ve been made aware by members of flood-impacted communities that some residents have received phone calls from scammers impersonating nbn and asking for funds to expedite the restoration of their service. Please be aware nbn will never contact customers asking for payment or any other financial information and we urge anyone who receives one of these calls to report it to Scamwatch immediately at http://www.scamwatch.gov.au

More information here and check here for the latest updates https://www.nbnco.com.au/blog/the-nbn-project/severe-weather-affecting-new-south-wales

amaysim flood relief

Amaysim’s response to the devastating floods includes free calls, texts, and bonus data for its customers for all of March.
https://www.amaysim.com.au/help

AussieBroadband

Visit here for details – https://www.aussiebroadband.com.au/help-centre/accounts-billing/accounts/disaster-support/

During disasters such as bushfires, floods and cyclones, we try to proactively map customers’ addresses from available emergency services data and contact them to offer assistance.

We recognise that what works for one customer may not work for another, so our policy is designed to be flexible.

OPTUS

https://www.optus.com.au/about/media-centre/media-releases/2022/03/optus-offers-support-to-customers-affected-by-severe-weather-events-across-nsw-and-qld

“Whilst several towers in the regions have been affected,  our network remains resilient, and we are working hard to restore affected services as quickly as possible and to support our customers as well as our own team members impacted during this time.”

Optus has activated a range of initiatives as a result of the crisis, including:

• Postpaid customers in affected areas will be provided up to 25GB of additional data to offset increased usage on eligible plans;
• Prepaid customers in affected areas will be provided up to 25GB of additional data on eligible plans
• Consumer and Business fixed internet customers will be eligible for a free interim service to keep them connected

Optus has also established a dedicated customer hotline for those affected by the severe weather (Ph: 1800 507 581). Customers can also connect via the My Optus App 24/7, which enables customers to message us directly.

SkyMesh

More details here – https://www.skymesh.net.au/support/my-skymesh/disaster-support?
Are you a SkyMesh customer impacted by QLD/NSW flooding in 2022?
Here are some of the ways we can help:

• No notice period required for cancellations at affected premises
• 30-days FREE when you’re back on your feet and ready to reconnect
• FREE temporary redirects for your VOIP phone number Line rental and call costs still applicable
• FREE relocation of your service to a new address *Must be serviceable by SkyMesh
• Arrangement of payment plans if you’re experiencing financial hardship.

Telstra

Telstra assistance package for customers includes short-term measures such as call diversion, a 25GB data pack for postpaid mobile customers, and a 25GB data pack with free calls for prepaid customers.

In the longer term, Telstra said it will offer free call diversion from the customer’s Telstra fixed phone service to another Australian fixed or mobile service of their choice, regardless of the carrier; a one-off credit to the customer’s Telstra fixed phone account to cover the costs of connecting a Telstra fixed phone service at one temporary address; and re-connection of a Telstra fixed phone service at the customer’s original permanent address.

“We will also be allowing free use of the Telstra Air wi-fi network at locations where payphones are equipped to provide this”, Boisen told iTnews.

More details here https://www.telstra.com.au/aboutus/community-environment/disaster-relief#assistance-packages

Payphones in the area are already able to make free local and national calls to standard fixed line numbers and free calls to standard Australian mobile numbers, after we made payphones free in August 2021. During this flooding situation, we will also be allowing free use of the Telstra Air Wi-Fi network at locations where payphones are equipped to provide this.

For customers who have been displaced from their residence or business during a natural disaster event, short-term assistance  – click link for details.

More details here – https://exchange.telstra.com.au/disaster-relief-for-our-flood-affected-customers-in-qld-and-northern-nsw/

TPG/Vodafone flood relief

TPG understands the importance of staying connected when you’ve been affected by a natural disaster such as bushfire or flood.
https://www.tpg.com.au/services/disaster-support

Prepared for BIRRR by the BIRRR Admin team, updated  4/3/2022.  Please check with your provider for correct advice regarding your disaster assistance