Services running on copper lines including EoC and EFM are being decommissioned due to the NBN rollout, other internet services being shutdown also include PSTN, ISDN (ISDN2/ISDN10/ISDN20/ISDN30), ADSL, ADSL2, Frame Relay, DDS Fastway services for voice. The shutdown of these services commenced at the end of September 2019. Meaning that in order to retain internet connectivity you will need to make a change or you risk being left in the dark.

Many businesses in Australia are using 10/10Mb or 20/20Mb symmetric Ethernet over Copper (EoC) or Ethernet First Mile (EFM) internet links to obtain symmetric internet speeds for their businesses. Business using these services typically haven’t had access to NBN, Fibre or Broadband symmetric services, as either they not available or cost prohibitive. The rollout of the NBN is actually an exciting opportunity for access to faster internet connectivity. But what to choose?

What to replace your EoC or EFM Service with?

If you have a Symmetric EoC or EFM service, speeds of these services are dependant on the distance to the nearest exchange, number of copper pairs available, and service quality in between, so in most instances your download and upload speeds are UP TO 10/10 or UP TO 20/20. You may only get actual speeds of 50 – 90% of the quoted speed plan. Ie 7/7Mb on a 10/10Mb service.

The costs for these limited services across a number of service providers is typically in the range of $250 to $400 per month and usually on a 36 month agreement.

Overall, EOC and EFM Connections are not great value products in terms of speed, cost and contract length.

With the decommissioning of EoC and EFM, many businesses are at a cross-roads and need to quickly start considering what options are available on the market and make a decision on which internet service to buy moving forward.

The explosion in the usage of Cloud services and VoIP are driving the need for faster and more reliable internet services and speeds. For businesses still on EoC and EFM connections, the most likely option will be a combination of NBN, Business NBN, Symmetric NBN, Fibre and 4G/5G internet links.

Depending on your site location/s, speed requirements and budgets, our Telecommunications Consultants can assist you in determining what options are available to you. As a vendor agnostic Telecommunications Consulting business, we can put proposals on the table for different services from multiple providers, and we can explain to you the different service offerings, plans and the benefits of each provider in regards to support, SLAs, reporting options, Network design, managed services etc.

What to expect from NBN Connections?

NBN is generally an asymmetric internet service (ie speeds not guaranteed), the most commonly advertised and sold plans are these 3 speed variants, 25/5Mb, 50/20Mb and 100/40Mb.

It is important to note that the NBN speeds quoted are UP TO the speeds quoted on the plan you purchase. In most instances the NBN service is much faster than ADSL services and is comparable to fast 4G mobile speeds as well. The NBN internet speed is contended, where the speed is dependent on the amount of traffic or competition for bandwidth in your area. So you will experience fluctuations in speed throughout the day, which is not avoidable. NBN plans for small businesses are typically offered in the price range of $70 to $140 per month on a 24 month agreement.

This provides overall good value in terms of speed, cost and agreement terms in comparison to EoC, EFM and ISDN services.

What to expect from Fibre Internet Connections?

Fibre internet services have been in Australia for many years and remain an important internet access service for businesses who require fast symmetric speeds for their operations.

Fibre speeds range from 10/10Mb to 1000/1000Mb depending on availability at site and providers.

The actual speeds that you receive for these services are very close to the advertised speeds. The service availability (uptime) and SLAs are much better than any other internet service.

Pricing and speed varies between providers and locations, with most common plans ranging from $400 to $2,000 per month on a 36 or 48 month agreement. There is often an installation cost and sometimes a build cost as well, which can be in the thousands of dollars. The upfront costs are based on your site location and fibre availability.

Overall fibre connections still provide good value in terms of high quality of service and speeds, as required by businesses with this type of demand.

Next Steps

At Telecommunications Consultant we are a vendor independent Telco broker, we will not pressure you into selecting any particular service, we strive to deliver solutions that are in your best interests and without any high pressure sales tactics.

If you have an existing Ethernet over Copper (EoC) or Ethernet First Mile (EFM) connection and need to change to a new data service, please give us a call on
1300 978 073. We can assess the internet service that you currently have, determine what NBN or Fibre Services are available in your location and we can put some options on the table based on your budget.

The Team at Telecommunications Consultant have helped businesses all over Australia with their Telecommunications issues, we have delivered internet and phone system solutions in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia.