NBN Co promises new initiatives to improve services

NBN Co has announced some new initiatives that would be set in place to improve its services and, as a result, its relationships with Australian businesses, especially SMEs. These new initiatives will include prioritisation of complex orders, more flexible pricing, and regional businesses to be able purchase fixed wireless and satellite enterprise products.

The announcement was made weeks after it was revealed that complaints against the network rose to as much as 160 per cent, with more than 27,000 complaints received by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman during the last financial year.

NBN Co chief customer officer for business John Simon said the company hoped the initiatives would ensure a smooth transition to the new network.

“As the rollout continues to scale, we want to enable businesses of all sizes to embrace fast broadband and tap in to a whole range of applications such as high definition video conferencing and cloud-based tools, which were once only in the domain of larger organisations,” Simon said. “The rollout of the NBN access network is one of the most complex and ambitious initiatives to be undertaken in any telecommunications market across the world.”

“We understand there is no silver bullet in improving the experience of people who connect to the network but we’re confident these new initiatives will boost the experience of businesses who sign-up.”

Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia CEO Peter Strong said many customers would welcome such changes. “In recent months, COSBOA has raised a number of concerns from our members with NBN Co regarding difficulties encountered by small business in securing reliable and affordable, high speed broadband services,” Strong said.

“COSBOA will continue to work cooperatively with NBN Co to enable small businesses in Australia to leverage the full benefits of the national investment in the NBN access network.”