How To Keep Your Landline on the NBN

If the NBN is coming to your area, you’ve probably heard that there’ll be changes to your landline service. Once your home is connected to the NBN your landline service will be delivered over the internet. So how will that affect your phone, how can you prepare for the switch and who’s got the best NBN landline plans?

QUICK FACTS:

• Once the NBN is connected at your home, your copper landline will be disconnected.
• Whichever NBN plan you choose will need to have a landline service included.
• To get your landline phone service working, you will need to plug your phone handset into your modem or NBN connection box rather than the phone socket.
• Any analogue handset should work with your new NBN service, provided you have a compatible modem. Your provider can supply you with this and may even include it for free as part of your plan.
• You will be able to keep your landline phone number when you switch to the NBN.

Telstra NBN Plans with Landline Calls Included:

As you probably gathered from our quick facts, getting your landline set up on the NBN can be tricky. That’s why it can often be best to choose a full service NBN provider like Telstra for your plan. With a Telstra NBN plan you’ll get 24/7 phone support, unlimited standard local, national and mobile calls, and a free modem that will be ready to deliver your landline service.

Telstra also offers handy solutions for customers switching their landlines to the NBN, like handsets that can connect wirelessly to your modem and adapters that can help your existing landline phones do the same.

And until 25 February this year Telstra will waive the $240 connection fee for new customers choosing a Telstra NBN no-contract plan.

Optus NBN Plans with Landline Calls Included:

Optus is another great choice for your NBN internet and landline service. All plans come with pay-as-you-go landline calls included. Or for $5 extra you can add unlimited local and national calls, and for another $5 you can get unlimited mobile calls to Australian numbers as well.

All Optus NBN plans come with a premium WiFi modem included which should come ready to deliver your landline service. Optus offers 24/7 phone support.

iiNet NBN Plans with Landline Calls Included:

iiNet also offers NBN plans with landline calls. All iiNet NBN plans come with pay-as-you-go calls as a standard feature. But if you choose a plan with Standard Plus speed (the best value option for most households) you’ll get unlimited local and national calls included with your internet.

All iiNet plans on a 24-month contract come with a modem included which should come ready to deliver your landline service. iiNet also offers 24/7 phone support.

Mobile Alternatives to Your Landline:

If you don’t mind giving up your landline number and get good mobile reception at your place, you might find it easier to ditch your landline and get a mobile phone instead. Whereas once mobile calls were more expensive than landline calls, those days are long over and you can get a mobile plan with unlimited talk and text for as little as $10 per month, and sometimes even less.

Check out these plans from the WhistleOut database with unlimited talk and text included.

More Information About Your Landline on the NBN

There are a couple more important things you should know about your NBN landline service:

• Unlike your current landline, if the internet or power goes down at your home, your landline will also lose connection. If there are people in your family without access to a mobile phone,it’s best to keep a cheap prepaid mobile charged with a little credit at home in case of an emergency.
• If you have a medical alarm or security system that connects over your landline, you will need to contact your device provider to make sure it will still work when you connect to the NBN.

For more information about landline on the NBN, see the full WhistleOut guide.

Jacqui Dent is associate editor at WhistleOut, Australia's largest mobile phone and internet comparison site.

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