From listening to our customers and reading online forums, I thought it would be useful to answer some common questions about nbn® Sky Muster® satellite services.
What is Sky Muster® ?
Sky Muster® is the first of two new nbn® broadband satellites. The nbn® satellites will deliver broadband internet connectivity to Australia’s rural and remote mainland and its offshore territories. New service installations are scheduled to start late-April 2016. Premises that are not in a nbn® satellite service area will have alternate nbn® service options available or scheduled at a later date.

How will it improve my service?
Utilising next-generation satellite technology with increased capacity, Sky Muster® will deliver an overall improved level of service with faster speeds. The new opportunities are endless, including allowing businesses to operate more efficiently, facilitating distance education and delivery of specialist health services. nbn® satellite services will continue to have a Fair Usage Policy in place, designed to make sure that all end-users get a fair go with their service, especially at peak-usage times.

What speeds can I expect?
Sky Muster® is designed to deliver download speeds of up to 25Mbps – around five times faster than what people are able to access on the current nbn Interim Satellite Service.

You have the choice between two speeds:

• Standard Speed for general browsing, online banking and email (up to 12/1Mbps). This speed is included in the Activ8me Sky Muster® satellite plan price.
• Fastest Sonic Speed for heavier internet use (up to 25/5Mbps) –This is $5 extra per month on Activ8me Sky Muster® satellite plans.

What plans are available?
Sky Muster® plans are available to eligible nbn® satellite service areas. I urge you to take a look at our nbn® Sky Muster satellite plans.
Activ8me customers who have already selected a Sky Muster plan will be able to change plans, subject to compliance with the nbn® Fair Use Policy requirements. We’ll provide a process on how to do this prior to commercial launch.
How can Activ8me offer a 100GB peak and 50GB off-peak plan in-line with the nbn Fair Use Policy requirements?
Very briefly, nbn’s entry-level wholesale plans enable RSPs to offer up to 75GB plans per month during peak periods. Further higher value wholesale options allow RSPs to construct peak usage plans up to 150GB (total) per month.Therefore the maximum limits referred to in the nbn Fair Use Policy over a 4 week rolling period depends on the plan the customer has selected. For our lower entry level plans, nbn co’s Fair Use Policy considers 75GB or more of peak usage data usage in a four week period as excessive and a breach of its Fair Use Policy and 150GB or more combined peak and off‐peak data usage in a four week period excessive and a breach of its Fair Use Policy.
The 100GB peak data plan has different rules: on this plan nbn co’s Fair Use Policy considers 100GB or more of peak usage data usage in a four week period as excessive and a breach of its Fair Use Policy and 150GB or more combined peak and off‐peak data usage in a four week period excessive and a breach of its Fair Use Policy. This is also explained in the words in our CIS.  Customers only need to be concerned with their chosen plan and their resulting monthly data allowances. Activ8me will notify customers as they approach their monthly data limits, after which and their service is slowed. There are severe penalties for RSPs if the nbn Fair Use Policy is breached. Therefore as Australia’s largest satellite provider we developed our plans with careful consideration and utilised extensive modelling of estimated future data usage patterns across our large customer base with differing and evolving needs.
What are the peak and off-peak data times?
The peak data time is 7am – 1am (local time). All of our Sky Muster plans include additional bonus off-peak monthly data which can be used between 1am – 7am (local time). I recommend that customers look at the off-peak data as bonus data that will be helpful for software updates and large downloads that you schedule during this time. The peak and off-peak data times are stipulated by nbn and the same for all internet service providers.
Are there any excess usage charges?
With our plans there are no surprise excess data charges. If you reach your monthly data allowance your service will slow to 128kbps. Provided we can still adhere to the nbn® Fair Use Policy requirements, data blocks will be available to resume your speed and give you extra data for the month.
What are the contract options?
Activ8me offers no contract and 12 month contract options. On a 12 month contract we offer a discount on our optional Wi-Fi router. To clarify, before our plans were made public our existing customers were also offered a 24 month contract option with the inclusion of a Wi-Fi router to thank them for their continued loyalty.
What equipment will I need?
A new nbn® satellite dish and modem will be provided and installed by nbn. Standard installation of equipment is at no cost to you. Additional charges may apply for a non-standard install. A lifetime equipment warranty is included as ownership and maintenance remains the responsibility of nbn.
What is the installation process?
Upon commercial launch, each nbn® satellite retail service provider will receive a monthly allocation for submission of installations to nbn®. The order of installations will be assessed by nbn® based on its capacity in each region.  New service installations are scheduled to start late-April 2016 and nbn may take a number of months to get through all the installations.
As a priority nbn will work to meet the installation demand. If demand exceeds nbn’s installation capacity, nbn will prioritise new services (those currently not connected to the nbn) and/or nbn will proportionally allocate the number of Interim Satellite Service (ISS) migration orders placed by service providers.  If some providers are below their ISS migration order allocation, the surplus allocation may be given to other providers with a higher number of ISS migration orders.
Please be aware that any nbn® ISS customers not wishing to migrate before nbn decommission the ISS (currently scheduled for end February 2017) will be switched off at that time.
What happens with my old equipment?
Existing nbn® Interim Satellite Services (ISS) will automatically receive de-installation and removal of their nbn ISS equipment.
Customers with Australian Broadband Guarantee (ABG) and nbn Satellite Support Scheme (NSS) services are considered ‘new’ nbn satellite customers. There is a de-install option for these customers with prior consent and possibly an additional charge (please note the installer will not dispose of ABG and NSS equipment). Alternatively, ABG and NSS customers can arrange to de-install/dispose of their old equipment, in which case we recommend using a qualified technician.
De-install will only occur after successful installation of the new nbn service, unless the customer completes a declaration stating that the new equipment is to be in exactly the same place as the old equipment and/or de-install has to occur prior to successful installation.
How do I create a wireless network?
To create a wireless network, or connect to the internet with portable devices (eg. smartphone or tablet) a Wi-Fi router is required. A Wi-Fi router can be purchased through Activ8me.
How is the rollout testing going?
The rollout testing continues to go well. If you missed my January blog I provided a brief update on testing and feedback from an Activ8me field trial customer who is testing the nbn® Sky Muster® satellite service.
One of our Activ8me customers, Paradise Gardens Cottages in Apollo Bay, has recently started using the new satellite service as part of the field trial. They explained that the new nbn satellite service is 100 times better when running their business and makes life easier. They have noticed the much-improved speed and can now watch Netflix movies. Their daughter can now also easily access information online to help with her Year 12 studies. They no longer have to drive her into the local town library to use the internet.
I urge you to take a look at our nbn® Sky Muster satellite plans.
We are taking applications from existing as well as new customers. If you have friends and/or neighbours interested in a new satellite service, please share my blog and let them know that our plans have now been released. To sign-up call 13 22 88.
Activ8me customers who have already selected a Sky Muster plan will be able to change plans, provided usage is within the nbn® Fair Use Policy requirements. We’ll provide a process on how to do this prior to commercial launch.
In the lead-up to the scheduled release of our Activ8me commercial nbn® Sky Muster® satellite services in late-April, I will continue to provide updates over the coming months in my blog.