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Thousands of Australians losing free-to-air TV access and facing internet issues
Customers of a private fibre-optic network provider say in addition to experiencing regular internet outages, some are also losing access to free-to-air television using their existing technology.
The changes to free-to-air television will impact about 50,000 Opticomm customers across the country, while internet issues are being felt more widely.
Opticomm says the decommissioning of free-to-air television for some customers is due to the technology "reaching end-of-life" and that it is investing in infrastructure to improve internet reliability.
When Leah Wray and her family moved into a new suburb on the outskirts of Darwin in 2023, she was sold on the promise of it being a "smart community" with top-of-the-line underground technology.
VIDEO: Thousands of Australians losing free-to-air tv access and facing internet outages
About 50,000 Australians are set to lose access to free-to-air television over their existing technology. And the troubles don't end there, with many customers also reporting regular and prolonged internet outages. Grace Atta reports for Stateline NT.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
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Opticomm customers unhappy with service change
Tens of thousands of residents across the country are set to lose free-to-air tv, with their fibre-optic network provider Opticomm de-commissioning the service.
And for some customers the troubles don't end there, with regular internet outages taking whole suburbs offline.
Featured: Leah Wray, Opticomm customerMike, Opticomm customerRyan Knowles, retirement village operatorMark Gregory, Associate Professor in Engineering, RMIT University
Dozens of Opticomm customers told the ABC they have experienced significant issues with their internet.(ABC News: Randi Dahnial)
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We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the
First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we
live, learn and work.
For more detailed information, explore updates concerning Thousands of Australians.



