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Special Services


Prepare your business before these services may be disconnected#

Special Services are a set of business telecommunication products (excluding standard landline phone or internet services) delivered over copper. These include, but are not limited to, Ethernet Lite, Frame Relay, Megalink, DDS Fastway, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and Customnet.

For a full list of Special Services that may be disconnected, please visit the Affected Special Services page^.

For most businesses, switching these services over is not an automatic process. If your Special Services are affected, you will need to arrange for new services as soon as possible. Otherwise, you may lose access to your critical services#

As there are several steps involved in switching to the nbn® network, we recommend contacting your service provider as soon as possible to get your new systems up and running. 

Please note: Disconnection dates may be subject to change. Additionally, Telstra has announced national product exits in relation to certain Special Services. These might affect when Special Services at your premises will be disconnected. Please speak to your provider for more information about Special Services migration options.#


The steps you need to take to migrate



Identify any Special Services that will be disconnected


As a business owner you need to identify any existing connected Special Services in your business. This can be done by knowing the affected product types and by reviewing the services and invoices operating at each business location.

Speak to your service provider if you're unsure of what those services are.





Check the expected disconnection date


The disconnection date that is expected to apply to your Special Services is based on two factors. Firstly, the disconnection date determined by the relevant white paper; and secondly  the rollout region disconnection date of your premises. Whichever disconnection date occurs last will determine when your Special Service must begin the disconnection process.# 



Speak to your service provider and take action to migrate


Your provider can help you determine the disconnection date that is expected to apply to your Special Services, as well as helping to arrange your migration. nbn will establish a network connection and service when your provider places an order. 

It’s important that you follow your provider's instructions and take action to switch as soon as possible. 

In order to help retain business continuity during the migration of your Special Services, we advise gathering the following information before speaking to your provider:  

  • The locations of your existing services 
  • The products at each location. 






^Premises connected to or expected to be connected to FTTP, FTTN and FTTB access technologies, as covered by the Temporary Special Services (TSS) White Papers, and services in respect of which Telstra has issued a BAU product exit, are currently subject to Special Services disconnection.




#Disconnection dates vary and not all Special Services will be disconnected. When a service will be disconnected, and the timing of disconnection, will depend on factors including the type of Special Service, when the nbn® network is available, which nbn access technology is available and whether Telstra has issued a national product exit in respect of a Special Service. To find out if your services will be affected, and applicable disconnection dates, contact your service provider.