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What's involved in the installation process

For eligible locations


Customers on nbn® Fibre to the Node (FTTN) or nbn Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) technologies in selected areas may be eligible to upgrade to nbn Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) with a plan based on our wholesale higher speed tiers^.

Your FTTP provider will help book in the required appointments with an nbn approved technician to begin the upgrade. Additional work by a technician will be required to install new nbn equipment inside and outside of the premises to complete the upgrade. Here’s a quick breakdown as to what’s involved in the process.


Temporary service interruptions during the process

It’s a live network, so there may be temporary service interruptions - typically around 30 minutes. Your technician will let you know on your installation day whether this applies to you. We may also need to temporarily isolate power for health and safety reasons, depending on the work we need to do.

For FTTC locations

There may be an outage of around 30 minutes in the days leading up to your installation appointment, which is when the technician installs new network equipment to support your new fibre service. Your provider will let you know if this outage is required and applies to you.





Pre-installation visit 

For some customers, we may send an nbn approved technician to assess the outside of your premises prior to the installation. This will help us to confirm any network upgrade requirements that may be necessary to support your fibre upgrade. 

The technician may find that additional works are required. If so, they’ll either return before your scheduled installation appointment, or complete the work on the installation day. Your FTTP provider will let you know if any changes to your appointment are required. 



What to expect during the pre-installation visit



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For most upgrades, this visit will take on average between 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. 

No one needs to be present for this visit.




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Activities performed by the technician will include:

  • Review of the external nbn infrastructure on the street and civil works
  • Non-invasive construction activities

If you, or someone over the age of 18 is present, the technician may request to do some installation work during this visit, so that there is less to do during your appointment.






Installation appointment

The technician will arrive to install the nbn equipment inside and outside your premises. They will require external access to the outside and inside of your premises.

If you're renting

Make sure that you have the landlord or property manager’s verbal or written permission before the appointment. The technician may need to do work that will need approval – such as drilling into the property walls.


What to expect during the installation appointment



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In most cases, this appointment will take between 3 to 4 hours. Please note it could take longer for complex connections.
 
You, or an authorised person over the age of 18, need to be present for this appointment.



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On the day, the technician will install and test the nbn equipment inside and outside your premises. 




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The technician will advise on the best location to install the nbn connection box inside your premises. Speak to them about your options.






Once we're done

The nbn approved technician will test that the nbn equipment has been installed correctly before they leave, so that it's ready for your FTTP provider to finalise the connection of the new FTTP service. 

Your provider will also be able to confirm that your equipment is working, but in some cases this process may take a couple of days.



Connecting

You will require an Ethernet cable and a compatible modem for your new connection box to work. You can then connect all your internet enabled devices including your nbn compatible phone, gaming consoles, Pay TV set top boxes and streaming devices to the nbn network.

Most nbn compatible modems will work across different technologies. Your FTTP provider can help you to check the compatibility of your existing modem with your new FTTP connection, troubleshoot any issues and identify any new connection devices you may need. If you plan to use your new fibre service primarily over Wi-Fi, nbn recommends confirming that your Wi-Fi modem can support the speeds that you have ordered. 





Don't forget to cancel your original nbn plan

Once your new FTTP connection is working, we recommend checking with your original provider that your plan on the original technology (FTTN or FTTC) has been cancelled. This will ensure that you avoid being charged for both technologies. 







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More information and assistance

Would you like to learn more? Check out our list of frequently asked questions.







Important notes

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Conditions, eligibility criteria and costs will apply – please speak with your preferred provider. Eligibility criteria includes among other things, being designated by nbn as a simple premises and placing an order for an nbn powered plan based on an eligible wholesale speed tier. Additional costs may apply to providers, who may choose to pass this charge onto their customers.