So yesterday, I went to the Telstra store at Parramatta Westfield after an hour-long train journey. NBN was applied for, at both places. They say it can be done. This morning I found a modem from Startrack sitting by the front door.

We'll see what happens. At the other place it's FTTN, yet it's all bush and there's no underground cables and no node to be seen. Here, it's HFC. The problem, of course, is the mismatched address. Telstra are sorting that out now.

At the other place it's FTTN, yet it's all bush and there's no underground cables and no node to be seen.

Sounds like NBN via cockatoo and gallah perch (aka aerial line).

Actually, you may be in for the dreaded fixed wireless.

Can't understand why its called fixed wireless? It seems an oxymoron, as they have been stuffing around with it here for months.

So, the NBN guy turned up on time. But I discovered he doesn't change the wiring, or install a new point, or any of that. That house has never had a phone connected since I bought it, so he checked the line and found it has a short circuit about halfway between the house and the street pole. This is an overhead wire, 65m long. So he had to give up, and booked for someone else to replace the cable. No idea when that will happen.

This house is scheduled for Thursday. The guy will have to install a cable under the house from the HFC white box to here. Hopefully he won't argue about it.

One very interesting thing - I decided to power up the new Telstra-supplied modem, to change the local LAN address to the subnet I use. After that, I found that the computer I was using connected up to Google, without any outside wires. I then noticed the modem had switched to a 5G connection, which worked despite not having any valid userid set up in the modem. It only worked for a few minutes before dropping out though - maybe you get a grace period for testing or something.

maybe you get a grace period for testing or something.

Telstra appears to be planning to avoid the NBN going forward, despite its CEO saying today: "That’s not going to replace the NBN,” Mr Penn said on Tuesday of 5G mobile technology. But it "creates an incentive for operators to prioritise 5G over fixed broadband networks.”

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/telstra-ceo-warns-of-nbn-s-unnatural-distortion-of-broadband-market-20190730-p52c3o.html

The article below states: "When it comes to speed, there's really no question. 5G mobile broadband is going to be faster than the NBN."

https://www.whistleout.com.au/Broadband/Guides/broadband-war-5g-vs-the-nbn-in-australia

Well, today was more like what I was expecting. NBN technician booked to be here between 8 and 12.

No one came.

As long as NBNCo remains a government-owned utility, the term KPI will be alien to everyone that is employed there.

Telstra tell me
- other place - NBN will call me on the 28th - why so long? Telstra didn't know.
- this place - NBN will call tomorrow.

I also received an Indian call from "Telstra" about my internet connection. I asked, what is the address of this connection, and he said he had a bad line and hung up.

Can't trust anyone these days.

No one came.

Maybe his 457 visa expired.

Heh

I had one of them actually turn up here. He was well equipped & trained, having at least two adjustable wrenches no more; a hole saw for wood, not sure about a hammer, & nothing for the mainly steel I had in store for him & every cutting or drilling tool was blunt as well.

Fortunately, the Radio section, Building & Light engineering sections of the Farm had everything covered, for the job.

And you wonder why there are problems?

He was well equipped & trained, having at least two adjustable wrenches no more

What, no multigrips?

From the NBN horrors file:

QUOTE: Peter has been without home broadband since late June when his NBN connection abruptly stopped working. The HFC cable NBN service was connected several weeks earlier when Peter moved back into his Melbourne home following major renovations, before which the house had relied on ADSL via the copper phone lines.

Upon contacting his internet provider iiNet, Peter was told that his home had never had an NBN service, with NBN Co confirming that it was not due to reach his area until next year.

I do sense that if this thread isn't the largest one on this site, it soon will be.

To add to the problems, Foxtel is scrapping cable feeds for pay TV and over time, all customers will have to have a satellite dish installed. I think this is a three year programme and I have lost count of the number of people I know who have told Foxtel not to install a dish until the replacement programme is due to expire. Apparently, all cable bandwidth is required for phone and internet connections.

- this place - NBN will call tomorrow.

Naturally, they didn't call.