As Australia heads into another higher-risk weather season, nbn is encouraging households, community groups, not-for-profits, and businesses to take simple steps now to help stay connected during emergencies. With bushfires, floods and storms becoming more frequent and severe, being prepared is more important than ever.

nbn is continuing to help keep communities connected when it matters most. This year, the company has increased assurance capacity, pre-positioned critical infrastructure such as generators in high-risk areas, and continues to monitor the network 24/7 through the Network Management Centre. These generators and other equipment can help fill gaps in the network and maintain connectivity while power is restored or infrastructure is repaired following extreme weather events.

Building a more resilient network with nbn full fibre

nbn’s continued rollout of nbn full fibre via Fibre to the Premises technology is also helping the network to become more resilient to the effects of extreme weather events.

Fibre is less vulnerable to environmental damage than copper-based technologies, it isn’t as susceptible to water ingress and can maintain stable performance even in high-risk conditions. This means fewer faults, faster restoration times, and more consistent connectivity in more places.

Simple steps to help stay connected during emergencies

While nbn continues to strengthen the network and prepare for emergencies, there are also simple steps Australians can take to help stay connected:

Be prepared

Most nbn outages are caused by power blackouts, so if it is important for your household, business or community group to remain connected, consider exploring alternative communication and power solutions and regularly test these to help them function effectively during emergencies. Additionally, it’s also essential to understand your local council’s emergency management plans and know where to go in times of crisis.

Stay mobile

Create an emergency kit with a fully charged mobile phone and a portable battery pack. This could be invaluable during power outages or if your nbn^® network connection is affected. Remember to conserve battery by turning off mobile data for unnecessary apps.

Stay updated

During emergencies, local radio provides crucial information. Include a battery-powered radio in your emergency kit. Additionally, follow emergency services on social and news channels, including State Fire and Rescue, Police, and services like nbn (@NBN_Australia).

Backup

Ensure you can access critical information and essential documents from anywhere. Consider creating digital backups on a USB drive or in the cloud. These documents may include insurance policies and financial records.

nbn is also reminding the community that when the nbn network is unavailable, services delivered over the network will not operate. This includes telephony services provided by phone and internet providers over the nbn network, which means calls to Triple Zero (000) will not be possible via those services. Calls to 000 may still be possible using a mobile phone with coverage or a Wi-Fi router with mobile network backup capability.

During emergency events, nbn provides updates about outages directly to phone and internet providers and via the nbn website.  

John Parkin, Chief Operations Officer at nbn, said:

“Our teams work 24/7 - year-round to prepare the network and support communities through whatever the season brings.

“The nbn network is built for resilience and becoming more so every day thanks to continued investment in our fibre upgrade program, and our ingoing investments in back up power, and emergency response capabilities.

“While extreme weather events can still cause unavoidable outages, being prepared at an individual and community level can make a powerful difference in how people stay safe, and how quickly they recover and reconnect.”

Media enquiries

NBN Co Media Hotline
Phone: 02 9927 4200
Email: media@nbnco.com.au