Beginning February 20, old copper wire connections will be turned off in some parts of Penrith. The first areas lined up for the switch over in the west include Penrith Stadium and Showground, Bringelly Road in the east, Jamison Road in the south, and in the north – Henry Street and Great Eastern Highway.
This comprises around 3,600 premises – with businesses benefitting the most out of the faster network.
Mega Games (High Street, Penrith) owners Christine and Manuel Stamatakis have already made the switch to the NBN.
The process, which started more than a year ago, was not easy according to Ms. Stamatakis. She said it was difficult because the communication companies handling the transition did not have sufficient experience moving people over. Due to this, they had problems connecting and had to rely on wireless Internet connection at one point.
Ms. Stamatakis advises providers involved in the switch over process to practise clear and constant communication to keep track of what’s going on.
“When you get told information write it all down or get them to send you a hard copy somehow so you know what is happening,” she said.
It was only when they could not go online that she realised how much they and the business itself relies on good connection to be able to operate.
She believes the extra speed will help improve system performance. She can already see the difference with the work that they do thanks to the faster speeds.
Darren Rudd, NBN Co spokesperson, calls on customers that have EFTPOS terminals, security and medical alarms, and other special equipment that utilise a landline to get in touch with their providers soon.