The Australian government is set to implement new NBN guarantees, preventing users from being left without internet during migration. The initiative takes effect from September 21st, and responds to the experience of around 16% of households.
New guarantees follow research from the ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority), revealing 16% of households (in study of 1,800 participants) were left without internet for a week during NBN transition.
The ACMA’s ‘Service Continuity Standard’ forces telcos to wait until a household’s new NBN service is functional, before terminating the existing internet connection.
Standards are currently being worked on by the ACMA, with further information to be released closer to August.
ACMA Chair, Nerida O’Loughlin, asserts telcos will now be forced to provide a higher level of customer service for NBN migrations.
Telcos who breach the Service Continuity Standard are at risk of civil penalties up to $250,000.
Some commentators warn many telcos may face short-term implementation challenges.
The NBN Co asserts it’s on track to complete rollout by 2020. The government-backed company is scheduled to provide a rollout guidance in its next corporate plan around late August.
