NBN Is Retiring Copper: What Your Upgrade Notice Means | MATE

Uncategorised | 14 October 2026

NBN is retiring copper: what your upgrade notice actually means

Got a letter, email or text about upgrading your NBN to fibre? You’re not alone. As NBN moves more homes off its older copper network, plenty of Aussies are getting messages about fibre upgrades, and a lot of them come with the same three questions. Is this real? Do I have to do it? And is it going to cost me?

Let’s clear it up, mate.

The short answer

An NBN upgrade notice means your address can move from copper-based NBN to full fibre. The upgrade is free, and you’ll get months of notice. Right now, most letters are voluntary offers, not mandatory notices. NBN’s mandatory notices don’t start until July 2027, and only ignoring those eventually leads to your service being suspended.

First things first: is your notice genuine?

Before you do anything else, make sure the message is real. As upgrade notices become more common, scammers will copy them. Here’s how to check:

• NBN won’t cold call to sell you anything. NBN doesn’t make unsolicited calls or door-knock to sell broadband, and it doesn’t sell internet plans directly to consumers. You buy your plan through a provider, like MATE.
• Genuine notices come from your provider or NBN by mail. Your provider will contact you about upgrades, and under NBN’s Targeted Upgrade program, NBN will also send letters directly to eligible homes.
• NBN won’t ask for payment or remote access over the phone. If a caller asks for either, hang up.
• Never click a link in an unexpected message. Go to your provider directly, using a phone number or website you’ve looked up yourself.
• Check with us. If you’re a MATE customer and you’re not sure about a letter or call, contact our Australian-based support team on 13 14 13. We’ll tell you whether it’s genuine.

For more on spotting fake calls and messages, read our guide to how to spot and stop phone scams.

What you’re probably holding right now

Here’s the important bit most coverage leaves out: as at October 2026, NBN’s mandatory upgrade notices haven’t started yet.

If you’ve received a letter or email about fibre recently, it’s almost certainly a voluntary upgrade offer. NBN has been offering free full fibre upgrades to eligible homes on copper-based connections for a few years now, and providers regularly let their customers know when their address becomes eligible. You can take up the offer, or not. Nothing happens to your service if you don’t.

Depending on your connection type, a voluntary upgrade may require you to order an eligible plan, so check the details with your provider. If you’re curious whether your address can upgrade today, you can check your eligibility here.

The mandatory notices are a different thing. They’re part of NBN’s Targeted Upgrade program, and they won’t start arriving until July 2027.

What the Targeted Upgrade program actually is

The Targeted Upgrade program is NBN’s plan for a “managed transition” of selected homes and businesses from legacy copper-based NBN to full fibre. In plain English, NBN is retiring parts of its copper network and moving the homes connected to it onto fibre.

Here’s what we know so far:

• Who it affects: homes and businesses on copper-based NBN connections, which industry reporting identifies as Fibre to the Node (FTTN) and Fibre to the Curb (FTTC).
• How many: around 130,000 homes and businesses in the first year, according to NBN. Industry reporting says around 20,000 premises a month will follow after that.
• Where: NBN says it’s focusing on areas where fibre is already available and where moving to fibre will improve performance and reliability, such as underperforming copper lines and underused network nodes being retired.
• Why: fibre is faster and more reliable, and as NBN puts it, “far less affected by weather and environmental conditions” than copper.

If you’re already on Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) or Fixed Wireless, this program doesn’t affect you. Wondering what’s happening in your area? Perth readers can check out our guide to NBN FTTP upgrades in Perth.

The timeline, plainly

• From July 2027: NBN-led notifications begin for the first homes in the program.
• Six months to act: you’ll have six months from your first notice to order the upgrade. Industry reporting says reminder notices will arrive at around six months, three months and one month before the deadline.
• Not before January 2028: NBN doesn’t expect the first service suspensions to happen until then.

That’s the whole sequence. If you want to know exactly what happens at each stage if you do nothing, we’ve covered it in what happens if you don’t upgrade to fibre?

What it costs and what changes on your plan

The upgrade itself is free for a standard installation. You also won’t be pushed onto a more expensive plan. NBN says customers in the program can stay on their existing speed tier (where applicable), or choose to move to a new plan if they want more speed.

NBN has also committed to some safeguards:

• Multiple notifications, so you’re not caught off guard
• The option to extend or defer before any service is suspended
• Case-managed support for customers who need extra help

If your property needs non-standard installation work, for example placing the connection box somewhere other than the standard location, extra costs may apply. You’d be told about these before any work goes ahead.

What actually happens at your property

For MATE customers, a fibre upgrade usually involves two visits from an NBN-approved technician, and we’ll book both for you:

1. Pre-installation visit: a quick check of the outside of your home, usually 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. You don’t need to be home.
2. Installation: the technician runs fibre to your home and installs a new NBN connection box inside, near a power point. This usually takes 3 to 4 hours, and someone over 18 needs to be home to agree on where the equipment goes. Your power and internet may be off for 30 to 60 minutes during the work.

Once the connection box is in, you connect your WiFi router to it and you’re on fibre. Wondering whether your current router will do the job? Read do you need a new modem when you upgrade to fibre?

If you rent, you’ll need your landlord’s or property manager’s permission before the installation, as it usually involves some drilling.

What about your home phone?

This is one of the biggest worries we hear about, especially from older customers, so here’s what to know:

• You can usually keep your phone number. Check with your provider before the upgrade so your number carries across to your new service.
• Fibre needs power. Old copper landlines often kept working during a blackout. Fibre equipment runs on mains power, so a phone that connects through it won’t work in a blackout without backup power. NBN recommends talking to your provider about whether your devices will work during a power outage.
• Keep a charged mobile handy. It’s the simplest backup for emergencies.
• Tell your provider about any alarms. If you have a medical alarm or security system connected to your phone line, let your provider know before the upgrade so it keeps working.

Should you just upgrade now instead of waiting?

If your address can already upgrade, there’s a good case for doing it on your own terms:

• You choose the timing. Book the installation when it suits you, not when a deadline says so.
• You get faster, more reliable internet sooner. Full fibre can access every NBN speed tier, up to NBN 2000.
• You avoid the rush. Once the program reaches your area, lots of your neighbours will be booking installations at the same time.

Honest take: if your current connection works well and your address isn’t in the program, there’s no need to rush. But if you’re weighing it up, our guide to whether you should upgrade your NBN to fibre can help you decide.

Want to see if your address can upgrade now? Check your eligibility, or give our Aussie team a call on 13 14 13.