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COVID-19 has Aussies asking one question… has the NBN got what it takes?

As COVID-19 sees swathes of Aussie employees move into makeshift home offices, there’s one very serious question on everyone’s lips. Will the NBN cope?
NBN COVID-19

As huge swathes of Aussie employees move into makeshift home offices, there’s one very serious question on everyone’s lips.

Whether we’ve done enough to flatten the curve? Whether your setup is ergonomically optimal? Whether you have enough toilet paper/snacks/self-motivation to make it through this trying time? Nope. Nope. And nope.

Of course, we all want to know whether the NBN is going to rise to the occasion, or spectacularly topple over.

StartupAus chief Alex McCauley tweeted to share his story of switching to the service at “a risky time”, but ultimately, he emerged unscathed.

Others, however, have not been so lucky.

One Twitter user said they will soon have two adults and two high-school-age kids working from home, with broadband speeds they say is “equal to Iraq”.

Others have reported disrupted video links, painfully slow connection speeds and drop-outs, leaving both business owners and employees frustrated and, in worst cases, completely without internet.

Some have gone as far as calling the service “an absolute farce” and a “crock of shit”.

NBN coronavirus

NBN itself says it is “responding to a shift in Australia’s usage patterns”, as more people use their home connections to work during the day. And, just as importantly, to keep streaming running smoothly for self-isolating humans in the evenings.

Just yesterday, it also announced it is waiving charges for additional capacity for about 40% of its retail service providers, in a bid to help them support their residential and business customers (presumably one and the same, at this stage).

“We’re proud to play our part to keep Australians connected and productive through this crisis,” chief executive Stephen Rue said in a statement.

“We are also mindful that these are unprecedented times and remain vigilant to any unexpected market and usage changes.”

Also, credit where credit’s due, the people managing NBN Australia’s social media accounts have been putting some serious shifts in, too.

But, that’s not stopping the complaints from flooding in — at least, if Twitter is anything to go by.

Do you have an NBN horror story? Let us know.

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