Why choose a local service provider for NBN

Gavin James • October 7, 2018

When it comes to choosing your internet provider for your home or office NBN connection, it's time to throw out your previous ideas on what makes a good provider.

A brief history

Let us take a look at how the national broadband network has changed the way you need to consider your internet provider. NBN Co is what is known in the industry as a "wholesale access provider network". That means, NBN Co, provides a way for internet service providers a technology agnostic way to connect their customers to the internet.

In the past, it was only larger providers that were able to afford to build and maintain this type of network, with only one company (take a guess which one) having been able to provide complete national coverage. In this environment, local ISPs would have to purchase access and data rates from a wholesaler and add their markup, leaving their competitiveness and profitability up to the larger wholesale networks.

Now, however, local ISPs are on the same playing field as the big corporates, paying the same rates over the same technology. As in all things, it is not just that simple, so what else differs between a local and national service provider.

A personalised service

Whether you are connecting your business or home, service providers always seem to have the same layout of plans and hardware that they have spent millions of dollars designing and now what to squeeze and change how you do things to fit their environment.

With a local service provider, they can properly take the time to understand your needs and build a service to suit your needs. Even if you feel your simple setup of WiFi and a home phone is no big deal, consider that some larger providers require you to use their modem in order for the phone to work, and well, that cheap modem they just gave you doesn't reach the media room, so no netflix on the tv unless you add additional extenders or recable your house, turning that simple setup in to an ever increase complex network.

Supporting local business

We've all heard it before, but supporting local business is great for the local economy. Even if the plans are a couple of dollars more than some national providers, you can know that money spent with a local provider will eventually trickle down to a cafe, a sporting club or at the local market. But, there is also the jobs created, marketing, support, sales and admin, all roles that need to be filled locally as the business grows.

Getting help from your service provider

Providing help and support has always been a thorn in the side of the telecommunications industry. Even the large ISPs with all their resources still don't seem to be able to get it right. But, that's where your local provider can make a difference. With a smaller more focused customer base, getting support from a local ISP should be simple as you will probably have the owner's mobile in your contact list.

Not only that, but as an owner of a local ISP, I can tell you that keeping you as a customer means a lot more to me than it does to the larger telco. Reputation aside, keeping a customer connected is my livelyhood and affects my ability to support my family financially, and to me, there is no bigger motivator.

Weekly Roundup: Key Updates from nbn Co and other news

By Gavin James • February 17, 2025
Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we bring you the latest developments in the telecommunications industry in Australia. As an internet service provider today, we acknowledge the growing importance of robust infrastructure and reliable services for our customers across the nation. Here’s what’s been happening this week. nbn Fixed Wireless Upgrade Program Completed for 800k Homes and Businesses The $750 million nbn Fixed Wireless and Satellite Upgrade Program has officially concluded, enhancing broadband service for approximately 800,000 homes and businesses across regional and remote Australia. The upgrades involve substantial improvements to more than 2,300 towers, resulting in faster download speeds even during peak usage times. This initiative not only enhances everyday online activities such as streaming and browsing but also facilitates access to remote healthcare, remote working opportunities, and education. An impressive benefit of this upgrade is the introduction of two new high-speed tier plans, which offer peak wholesale download speeds of up to five times faster than previously available options. More than 120,000 homes previously reliant on the nbn Sky Muster satellite service can now switch to the improved nbn Fixed Wireless service, promising better connectivity and experiences for customers in these regions. Read more .  NBN Co Delivers Solid Half-Year Results in Line with FY25 Guidance NBN Co has reported total revenue of $2.87 billion for the first half of FY25, an increase of 4 percent from the corresponding period in FY24. Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 7 percent, reaching $2.12 billion. The company continues to perform well against its FY25 guidance, which aims for revenue between $5.7 billion and $5.9 billion. The number of premises connected to the nbn network has surged to 8.62 million, with significant upgrades to 594,000 premises to Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) as part of the Fibre Connect Program. This ongoing investment in digital infrastructure not only improves service quality but also supports the government's initiatives aimed at enhancing digital capabilities across Australia. Read more . Telstra's CustData Portal Inaccessible for a Week Telstra's CustData portal, crucial for enterprise and wholesale customers to manage their network settings and usage, experienced a significant outage, leaving it inaccessible for over a week. This downtime resulted from unplanned maintenance efforts, causing disruption as customers relied on alternate methods to lodge changes. Telstra has reassured customers of ongoing support during the period, actively guiding them through alternative means for service adjustments until full access is restored. This incident highlights the critical need for effective communication and rapid response in managing service portals vital to customer functioning. Read more . NBN Co's Fibre Upgrades Reach Record High Recent reports indicate that NBN Co upgraded over 217,000 premises to full fibre in the last half of 2024, surpassing previous annual targets and emphasizing a shift towards fiber connectivity. This progress underscores a growing awareness among customers about available services, alongside initiatives aimed at transitioning homes from outdated copper lines to high-speed fibre connections. The continued push for fibre upgrades is reflected in competitive offerings from retailers, with many customers opting for higher speed tiers even when not required. This trend is indicative of an increasing appetite for faster internet services, aligning with modern digital consumption needs in a connected economy. Read more . TPG Telecom Recovers After Data Centre Outage After a severe outage linked to both mains and backup power failure at one of its data centres in Sydney, TPG Telecom has restored services to most of its customers. The incident, exacerbated by a recent storm that caused localized flooding, affected users nationwide, especially in New South Wales and the ACT, highlighting the vulnerabilities of service providers to external environmental factors. In response, TPG communicated with its customers through various channels, emphasizing proactive measures taken to ensure service restoration while addressing network stability concerns. This episode illustrates the importance of resilience and contingency planning in maintaining service continuity. Read more . Stay tuned for more updates next week, as we continue to monitor the evolving landscape of telecommunications in Australia!

We are ready for new nbn Co pricing strategy

By Gavin James • October 31, 2023
Cost certainty for nbn Co's future a welcome change

AWBA Finalists Announcement!

June 13, 2023
We're Finalists in the Albury Wodonga Business Awards 2023!

Writing Website Content

By Gavin James • March 30, 2023
5 Tips for Writing Good Copy for Your Small Business Website

#CelebrateLate

By Daniel Anderson • May 5, 2020
Covid-19 has affected our favourite local bars, restaurants and eateries with many being forced to temporarily close up business. We have been amazed at how quickly the food and entertainment industries has adapted to delivery and ready-for home meals, along with live streaming music on Facebook and Twitch. This has all been excellent to see and is great to help them to survive, however, it's not a sustainable future. We've thought, what's something that we can do to support these businesses when restrictions are eventually lifted and we can return for a meal or a show. So we thought of the idea to #CelebrateLate! Have you had something to celebrate whilst social distancing and isolation measures have been in affect? #CelebrateLate - A hashtag local venues can use to promote their commitment to hosting future functions and events. When the social distancing measures have lifted, make sure customers know you will be there to help them with their celebrations! Local businesses can get onboard by creating a #CelebrateLate promotion and offering Gift Vouchers etc. We've also created a mini marketing pack to help you get started!

Launching our new look

By Gavin James • April 30, 2020
We started of with the iconic red colour from our logo, ran it through a complimentary colour engine, and fished out a few colours we liked. From there it was just a matter of replicating our new "slider" background image that you will see throughout our website. With the new colours, we will be using them to help identify our different product ranges. Purple for our home and small business nbn plans Blue for our premium business nbn plans Black for our enterprise ethernet plans Teal for our voice products Orange for our cloud products

Fibre to the Node (FTTN) & Your Home/Office Cabling

By Daniel Anderson • June 7, 2019
NBN can be quick to conclude that customer cabling is the culprit for slow speed issues and drop outs – but can the cabling in your house cause such a problem? In Short, Yes. Your internal cabling can make a significant difference in the stability and speed of your nbn Fibre-to-the-Node service.

What do the nbn service classes mean?

By Daniel Anderson • June 4, 2019
You may have seen reference to "service classes" when referring to the nbn™ network. A service class tells your retail service provider (RSP) about the infrastructure that will be supplying a premise and the readiness of the infrastructure. Here we will explain the service classes and what they mean to you.
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