Byteway is a Port Melbourne ICT and telco provider, and this is exactly the kind of change we manage for business clients: NBN Co is retiring copper for about 130,000 premises in the first year of a new program, and if your business is one of them, doing nothing eventually means losing your connection. Here is how to check whether you are affected, and what the change actually involves.
The upgrade to full fibre is free. That part is true and worth saying clearly. But for a business, and especially a business running more than one site, the free upgrade and a smooth cutover are not the same thing. This guide covers who is in scope, how to check your connection type today, the timeline, and where the real work sits.
Executive summary
NBN Co’s Targeted Upgrade program will move approximately 130,000 homes and businesses off legacy copper (FTTN and FTTC) onto full fibre (FTTP) in its first year, with notifications from July 2027 and the first copper suspensions from January 2028. The fibre upgrade is fully funded by NBN Co. Selected premises get a six-month window with reminders before any suspension. HFC and existing FTTP connections are not affected. For businesses, the cost is not the upgrade, it is planning the cutover so phones, internet and connected systems do not drop during a working day.
What is the NBN Targeted Upgrade program?
For years, upgrading from copper-based NBN to full fibre has been optional and customer-initiated. You asked, NBN Co upgraded. The Targeted Upgrade program changes that. Now NBN Co selects the premises and sets the schedule, and staying on copper stops being an option once your area is chosen.
The reasoning is straightforward from NBN Co’s side. Running copper and fibre side by side is expensive, and copper is less reliable. NBN Co has said that after extreme weather, full fibre services can be restored in hours where copper-based services took days. Retiring copper is the final step in a network shift that has been underway for years.
In the first year, the program aims to upgrade around 130,000 homes and businesses. After that, it is expected to continue at roughly 20,000 premises per month.
Is my business affected? Who is in scope?
The program targets premises on copper-based NBN connections. Specifically:
- FTTN (Fibre to the Node): the primary focus. There are around three million FTTN premises across Australia.
- FTTC (Fibre to the Curb): also in scope.
Not affected by this program:
- HFC (Hybrid Fibre Coaxial): not part of the Targeted Upgrade program.
- Existing FTTP (Fibre to the Premises): already on full fibre, so nothing to do.
NBN Co is prioritising areas where fibre is already available nearby and where the upgrade is straightforward, retiring underused nodes and underperforming copper lines first. So the rollout is suburb by suburb, not nationwide all at once.
One reassuring detail for businesses worried about cost creep: you do not need a high-speed plan to receive the upgrade. You can move to full fibre and stay on your existing speed tier. NBN Co has confirmed customers forced to upgrade will not be required to pay more simply to stay connected.
Which NBN connection types are being forced to upgrade?
FTTN (Fibre to the Node) and FTTC (Fibre to the Curb) connections are in scope for the Targeted Upgrade program. HFC and existing FTTP connections are not affected. If your business is on FTTN or FTTC in an area where fibre is already available, you may be selected, and the upgrade to full fibre is free.
How to check your NBN connection type?
Before anything else, find out what you are on. It takes a few minutes.
- Check the NBN Co address lookup. Enter your business address on the NBN Co website and it will show your current connection type and whether a fibre upgrade is available at your premises.
- Check your current plan paperwork or provider. Your internet provider can tell you your connection technology.
- Look at your physical setup. An FTTN connection typically uses a modem plugged into a phone wall socket. An FTTP connection uses an NBN connection box (utility box) installed inside the premises. This is a rough indicator, not a definitive test, so confirm with the address lookup.
If you find you are on FTTN or FTTC, you are potentially in scope, now or in a later phase. If you are on HFC or already on FTTP, this particular program does not apply to you.
The Timeline
The program is structured with clear stages and safeguards. For a selected premises, it runs roughly like this:
- From July 2027: NBN Co and your internet provider begin sending notifications to selected premises about the upgrade and the retirement of the copper node.
- Six-month window: once notified, you have around six months to place your free fibre upgrade order through your provider.
- Reminders: notifications are sent at approximately six months, three months and 30 days before suspension.
- From January 2028: the first copper service suspensions begin for premises that have not ordered the upgrade.
- Suspension then disconnection: if the deadline passes without action, the service is suspended (reported as around 30 days), and then disconnected if still no action is taken.
NBN Co has built in safeguards, including the option to extend or defer before suspension, and case-managed support for customers who need extra assistance.
The key point for a business: the upgrade is not automatic. Even though NBN Co handles the infrastructure work, the upgrade still has to be initiated through your internet provider. Ignoring the letters does not keep you on copper. It eventually removes your connection.
Why “free upgrade” and “no cost to your business” are different things?
This is the part a business needs to understand, and it is where the residential framing of “it’s free” stops being the whole story.
The fibre upgrade itself is genuinely free. NBN Co funds the installation and the new connection box. No argument.
But a business is not a household. When the copper is retired and the fibre cut over, several things can be affected at once:
- Your internet connection changes over, which can mean downtime during the switch if it is not planned.
- Phone systems that run over the old connection, particularly any remaining copper-based lines or older setups, may need reconfiguration.
- Anything connected to the internet at the premises can be affected during the cutover: EFTPOS, alarms, CCTV, door access, booking systems.
- Static IP arrangements may need to be confirmed and carried across, which matters if you host anything or run remote access.
For a single small site, this is usually minor with a little planning. The risk is an unplanned cutover landing in the middle of a trading day. The work is not the upgrade. It is making sure the switch happens cleanly, out of hours where possible, with everything tested afterwards.
The Multi-Site Problem
For a business running several locations, the Targeted Upgrade program has a wrinkle that makes it genuinely harder than the residential version.
Your sites will not all be selected at once.
Because NBN Co is retiring copper suburb by suburb, based on where the upgrade is simplest, a business with five locations across different areas can receive notifications for each site at different times, on different six-month clocks, through potentially different providers if the sites were set up separately over the years.
That turns a simple upgrade into an ongoing coordination task:
- Different deadlines for different sites, each easy to lose track of
- Different cutover dates to plan around trading hours at each location
- The risk of a site quietly missing its window and being suspended
- No single view of which sites are on copper, which have been notified, and which are done
This is exactly the kind of thing that falls through the cracks when nobody owns it centrally. One site’s letter goes to an inbox nobody checks, the deadline passes, and a location loses connectivity. For a business, that is lost trading, not just an inconvenience.
What businesses should do now?
You do not need to wait for a letter to get ahead of this.
- Audit your connections. For every site, find out the NBN connection type. Any FTTN or FTTC site is potentially in scope.
- Note which sites are exposed. Build a simple list: site, connection type, provider, whether fibre is already available at the address.
- Consider upgrading proactively. Free on-demand fibre upgrades are already available to many FTTN and FTTC premises where fibre is in place. You do not have to wait to be forced. Upgrading on your own schedule means you control the cutover timing.
- Plan the cutover per site. Decide when each switch should happen to minimise disruption, and what needs testing afterwards.
- Assign one owner. Someone, internal or your IT and telco provider, should hold the master view so no site misses its window.
- Ask whether fibre is even the right tier. For some business-critical sites, this is a good moment to consider whether standard business fibre is enough or whether a higher-grade connection with a service level agreement suits better.
Is this actually good news? Mostly, yes
It is worth ending on the balanced view, because the “forced” framing sounds alarming and the reality is largely positive.
Full fibre is faster, more reliable, and quicker to restore after faults than the copper it replaces. For most businesses, moving off ageing copper is an upgrade they would have wanted eventually anyway, and NBN Co is paying for the infrastructure. The symmetrical-capable, more stable connection is a genuine improvement for anything cloud-based, for voice over IP, and for multi-site operations.
The only real downside is disruption during the switch, and that is a planning problem, not an inevitability. Handled well, a business ends up on better infrastructure at no upgrade cost. Handled badly, or ignored, a business ends up with a suspended connection at the worst possible moment.
The difference between those two outcomes is whether someone planned it.
Get ahead of the copper cutover
The businesses that handle this well will barely notice it. The ones that ignore the letters risk a site going dark mid-trade. The difference is planning, and for a multi-site business, a single point of coordination.
Byteway manages Business NBN, fibre and business phone systems for Australian companies, which means we can check every one of your sites, tell you which are on copper and exposed, and plan each cutover around your trading hours so nothing drops when it matters. One provider holding the whole picture, rather than five separate clocks nobody is watching.
Book a multi-site NBN planning session. We will audit your connections, map your exposure, and give you a proactive upgrade plan.
👉 Book your NBN planning session
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NBN Targeted Upgrade program?
It is an NBN Co program that moves selected premises off legacy copper (FTTN and FTTC) onto full fibre (FTTP), on NBN Co’s schedule. Around 130,000 premises are targeted in the first year from July 2027, with copper suspensions from January 2028 for those who do not order the free upgrade in time.
How do I know if my business is affected?
Check your connection type using the NBN Co address lookup for each of your sites, or ask your provider. Businesses on FTTN or FTTC in areas where fibre is available may be selected, now or in a later phase. HFC and existing FTTP connections are not part of this program.
Is the fibre upgrade really free?
Yes. NBN Co funds the FTTP installation and the new connection box. You do not pay for the upgrade itself, and you do not need a high-speed plan to receive it. The potential cost to a business is in planning the cutover and any reconfiguration, not the upgrade.
When will my copper actually be disconnected?
For premises in the first phase, notifications begin July 2027 and the first suspensions begin January 2028, after a six-month window with reminders at six months, three months and 30 days. Later phases follow on a rolling basis at around 20,000 premises per month.
What happens if I ignore the notifications?
Your copper service will eventually be suspended, then disconnected. Ignoring the letters does not keep you on copper. It removes your connection. There are safeguards, including options to extend or defer and case-managed support, but doing nothing indefinitely is not one of them.
Do I have to change my speed or pay more?
No. NBN Co has confirmed that customers moved under this program can keep their existing speed tier and are not required to pay more simply to stay connected. You can choose a faster plan if you want the extra speed full fibre supports, but you are not forced to.
Can I upgrade before I am forced to?
Often yes. Free on-demand fibre upgrades are already available to many FTTN and FTTC premises where fibre infrastructure is in place. Upgrading proactively lets you control the timing of the cutover, which is usually better for a business than being scheduled.
What if my sites are on different timelines?
That is common for multi-site businesses, because the rollout is area by area. Each site may be notified at a different time with its own six-month deadline. The practical answer is to track all sites centrally so none misses its window, which is where a provider managing it across locations helps.