[LINK] Question about hooking up phones to fibre

[Jan Whitaker]

Hi guys
Hope you can help me out. A friend is in one of the new 
neighbourhoods where Telstra no longer lays copper and a private 
company has the contract to put in fibre as their comms services, 
both phone and internet and I believe even TV. She was telling me 
this morning that they paid $500 for a telephone instrument, 'wired', 
no DECT, just one handset. I was appalled! I told her this didn't 
sound right to me and I'd ask the techperts on Link.

So, weren't we all assured that a standard telephone would hook onto 
the new customer premises equipment for voice services? Or all we all 
going to be hit with having to buy a $500 single phone? Or are they 
being hoodwinked by an unscrupulous provider who thinks they can get 
away with 'murder' advising this as the only option?

These people are complaining to the TIO, but I suggested this sounded 
like a monopoly problem and she should include the ACCC in this one.

Also, just for info, it took over a month for them to get any service 
and the 'techs' (using the term loosely) don't seem to know what 
they're doing. Evidently the company with the contract isn't having 
any luck getting qualified staff to do this stuff. I wonder how the 
NBN projects have managed. It's all well and good to sell the project 
to the public on jobs generated, but if this is the current 
situation, it's going to be a big ask to train enough qualified techs 
to actually fill those jobs.

So, any insight on the issue of the handset?

Thanks,
Jan


Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

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