If you manage a strata scheme, owners corporation, or body corporate, chances are you have fielded at least one complaint about slow internet or received a letter from NBN Co about an upcoming infrastructure upgrade. The NBN rollout in multi-dwelling buildings is one of the more complex telecommunications projects a strata manager will encounter — not because the technology is difficult to grasp, but because the process touches your committee, your residents, your building systems, and your budget all at once.
This guide cuts through the jargon. It explains what an NBN upgrade involves for your building, what decisions your committee needs to make, how to protect critical systems like lift phones during the transition, and how to keep residents informed every step of the way.
What Does an NBN Upgrade Actually Involve for a Strata Building?
When NBN Co upgrades a multi-dwelling unit (MDU) building, it is replacing or augmenting the cabling that carries broadband signals from the street into individual lots. This is meaningfully different from a single-dwelling upgrade. In a strata building, NBN Co must install or verify shared infrastructure in common areas before any individual resident can connect to the network.
The work generally begins at the street boundary, where NBN Co installs or checks a lead-in conduit running into the building's communications room. From there, distribution equipment is placed in that communications room or riser cupboard, and fibre or copper cabling is run through the building risers to individual lot connection points. None of this happens without access to common property, which means your owners corporation is involved whether it wants to be or not.
Understanding what is ahead of you makes that involvement far less stressful. NBN Co coordinates directly with the owners corporation for common property access, so the process is structured — but it does require active engagement from the committee and, in many cases, the strata manager acting as the intermediary between NBN Co and residents. For a broader overview of how NBN services work in practice, the Pickle Help Centre article on NBN and how Pickle Business Broadband works is a useful starting point.
Strata buildings also tend to have more complexity than standalone properties when it comes to existing infrastructure. Older buildings may have legacy wiring that affects what connection type NBN Co will deploy. Newer developments may already have conduit and communications rooms built to modern standards. Either way, the starting point is understanding which NBN technology type your building will receive.
FTTP vs FTTB: Which Connection Type Will Your Building Get?
The two most common NBN connection types in apartment buildings are Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) and Fibre to the Building (FTTB). They differ significantly in how they are installed, what disruption they cause, and what speeds residents can ultimately access. For a complete breakdown of all NBN technology types and their implications, refer to the NBN connection types explained guide in the Pickle Help Centre.
Fibre to the Premises (FTTP)
With FTTP, NBN Co runs fibre optic cable all the way to a small device called a Network Termination Device (NTD) installed inside each individual unit. This is the highest-quality connection available on the NBN and supports the fastest speed tiers — including gigabit plans where the relevant RSP offers them. Buildings being upgraded under NBN Co's ongoing fibre upgrade programme are increasingly receiving FTTP, particularly in areas where copper-based technologies like FTTN are being retired.
The trade-off is that installation is more involved. Technicians need access to each unit individually to install the NTD, which means every resident must be available for their own appointment. As strata manager, you can facilitate the common area infrastructure work, but individual residents are responsible for booking and keeping their unit appointments. This is where proactive communication from the building makes a genuine difference — residents who understand why the appointment is necessary and what to expect are far more likely to follow through.
Fibre to the Building (FTTB)
With FTTB, fibre runs to the building's communications room, and the existing copper telephone wiring inside the building carries the signal from there to each individual lot. This technology is common in older apartment blocks where internal copper wiring from a legacy telephone system is already in place and in reasonable condition.
FTTB is generally faster to roll out across a building because it does not require technicians to enter every unit — the common area work is completed and residents can then order NBN services through their chosen provider without waiting for an individual installation visit. However, the maximum speed available to each resident depends on the condition and length of the copper wiring within the building. Where internal copper is degraded or runs are particularly long, residents may find their achievable speeds are lower than the plan they have purchased.
The Committee Approval Process
NBN infrastructure installed in common areas is, in most cases, treated as a maintenance and upgrade matter rather than a capital improvement — but you should always check your state's strata legislation to confirm what approval threshold applies to your scheme. In New South Wales, the owners corporation must grant NBN Co access to common property, and the committee typically handles this without a general meeting unless the work involves significant structural changes to the building fabric.
In practice, the process follows a predictable sequence. NBN Co contacts the owners corporation — usually by letter to lot owners or via the strata manager — to advise of the planned upgrade and request access to common property. The committee reviews the scope, which covers what areas will be accessed, what equipment will be installed, and what the timeline looks like. Once satisfied, the committee or strata manager provides written consent for NBN Co technicians to enter the communications room and risers. NBN Co then schedules the common area work, which is typically completed in a single technician visit.
Your role as strata manager is to facilitate this access, communicate the schedule to residents well in advance, and ensure the building's communications room is clear, accessible, and free of any obstructions that could delay the technician. Some buildings have communications rooms that have become informal storage spaces over the years — clearing these before an NBN upgrade is a practical step worth addressing early.
It is also worth keeping records of all correspondence with NBN Co, including the scope of works and any commitments made about restoration of common property after the installation. This protects both the owners corporation and the strata manager if disputes arise later about the condition of common areas.
What Happens to Lift Phones and Other Building Systems?
This is the question most strata managers do not think to ask — and it is the most consequential one.
Many older buildings rely on traditional analogue phone lines for lift emergency phones, intercoms, CCTV dial-out systems, and fire indicator panels. When a building transitions to NBN, those analogue lines are typically disconnected as part of the cutover process. If you have not planned for this, your lift emergency phone can stop working without warning — and in some cases, building managers do not discover the failure until a resident reports an incident.
Lift Phone Compliance Under AS1735.19
Australian Standard AS1735.19 requires that passenger lifts be equipped with a functioning emergency communication device. A lift emergency phone that stops working because its underlying analogue phone line was disconnected is not simply an inconvenience — it is a compliance failure and a genuine safety risk to anyone who becomes trapped in the lift.
Before your NBN upgrade is completed, you need to confirm that your existing lift emergency phone service has been identified and accounted for in the transition plan. A replacement connection method must be arranged — typically a dedicated NBN-compatible voice service or a mobile-based emergency lift phone solution — and that replacement connection must be tested and verified as operational before the analogue line is disconnected. There should be no gap in coverage.
Pickle's emergency lift phone products are specifically designed for strata buildings undergoing this transition, providing compliant, NBN-compatible emergency communication that meets the requirements of AS1735.19. For a full explanation of those requirements, refer to the lift emergency phone requirements guide, which covers the standard in detail. The Pickle Help Centre also covers the practical steps for using NBN with emergency lift phones, including what to do before your cutover date.
Do not leave lift phone continuity as an afterthought. Arrange replacement services as part of your pre-upgrade checklist, not after residents begin reporting problems.
Beyond lift phones, it is worth conducting a thorough audit of all systems in the building that may rely on analogue lines. Intercoms, gate access systems, and CCTV units with dial-out functionality are commonly overlooked. Any system that uses a physical phone line to send signals or alerts needs to be assessed before the NBN transition date.
What Do Residents Need to Do?
Residents' responsibilities during an NBN upgrade depend on which connection type the building is receiving, and communicating this clearly — before NBN Co contacts them directly — significantly reduces confusion and missed appointments.
For buildings receiving FTTP, each resident will need to book an individual NBN Co installation appointment to have their NTD installed inside their unit. NBN Co will contact residents directly, but strata managers consistently find that a notice from the building — explaining what the appointment is, why it is required, and what to expect on the day — improves cooperation and reduces the number of missed or cancelled appointments. Residents who understand that the NBN upgrade cannot be completed for their unit without this visit are more likely to prioritise it.
For buildings receiving FTTB, residents generally do not need to do anything for the NBN infrastructure itself, since the connection terminates in the communications room rather than inside each lot. However, every resident will still need to contact their preferred internet provider to order an active NBN service once the building upgrade is complete. The infrastructure being in place does not automatically activate anyone's internet service — residents need to take action through their chosen provider.
For residents asking about timing, the NBN installation and activation guide explains what to expect between upgrade notification and having an active connection. Sharing this link in your resident notice can reduce the volume of enquiries directed to the strata manager.
Managing the Transition Smoothly
A well-managed NBN upgrade is predominantly a communications exercise. The technical work is handled by NBN Co technicians, but the information flow — between NBN Co, the committee, and residents — is where most problems originate and where a strata manager adds significant value.
Pickle's strata management communications solutions are built around exactly this kind of transition, providing the tools and services strata buildings need to manage connectivity upgrades without disruption to residents or building systems.
Pre-Upgrade Transition Checklist
- Confirm your building's NBN connection type (FTTP or FTTB) directly with NBN Co before communicating anything to residents
- Audit all building systems — lift phones, intercoms, CCTV dial-out, fire indicator panels — for reliance on analogue phone lines
- Arrange replacement services for all analogue-dependent systems before the cutover date and verify each one is operational
- Send a resident notice at least two weeks before work begins, explaining the connection type, what residents need to do, and the expected timeline
- Coordinate NBN Co access to common property and confirm the technician's scheduled date in writing
- Ensure the communications room is clear, accessible, and unobstructed ahead of the technician visit
- For FTTP buildings, follow up with residents who have not yet booked their individual installation appointments
- After the upgrade, confirm that all common area infrastructure has been completed and that the building's communications room has been left in acceptable condition
Get a Site Assessment Before the Upgrade Begins
Every building is different. The age of your communications room, the condition of internal wiring, the number of lots, and the presence of commercial tenancies on the ground floor all affect how an NBN upgrade plays out for your scheme. A building with 12 residential lots in a newer block is a fundamentally different project to a 120-lot mixed-use development with ageing copper infrastructure and multiple lift shafts.
The most effective thing a strata manager can do before an NBN upgrade begins is to arrange for a qualified telecommunications provider to walk the site and identify anything that needs to be addressed in advance. This kind of pre-upgrade site assessment can surface issues — degraded wiring, missing conduit, non-compliant lift phone configurations — that would otherwise cause delays or compliance failures mid-project.
Pickle works with strata buildings across Australia to assess, plan, and manage NBN transitions from the ground up. From apartment building technology solutions to managed Wi-Fi calling for buildings and business internet products suited to strata environments, the full picture of what a building needs can be mapped before NBN Co arrives on site. For insight into planning technology infrastructure from the development stage, the technology infrastructure for apartment developments guide is also worth reviewing if your scheme is newer or recently completed.
Talk to Pickle About Your Building's NBN Transition
Pickle works with strata managers, owners corporations, and body corporates across Australia to plan and manage NBN upgrades — from pre-upgrade site assessments and lift phone compliance through to building-wide internet solutions and ongoing support.
To discuss your building's situation, contact the Pickle team directly.
Phone: 1300 688 588 Email: [email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does the owners corporation have to approve NBN Co's access to common property?
A: Yes. NBN Co requires permission from the owners corporation to access common property, including the communications room and building risers. In most states and territories, the committee can grant this access without a full general meeting, provided the work does not constitute a major structural change. Check your state's strata legislation — in New South Wales, the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 is the relevant reference — and document the committee's decision in writing.
Q: What is the difference between FTTP and FTTB for strata buildings?
A: With FTTP (Fibre to the Premises), fibre cable runs all the way into each individual unit, requiring a technician visit to every lot. With FTTB (Fibre to the Building), fibre terminates in the building's communications room and the existing internal copper wiring carries the signal to each lot. FTTB is less disruptive to install across a building but may deliver lower maximum speeds than FTTP depending on the condition of the internal copper.
Q: Will the lift emergency phone stop working during an NBN upgrade?
A: It can, and it will if no action is taken. Lift emergency phones in older buildings typically rely on analogue phone lines that are disconnected when a building moves to NBN. Under Australian Standard AS1735.19, a functioning lift emergency communication device is mandatory. Strata managers must arrange an NBN-compatible replacement — such as a dedicated voice-over-IP service or mobile-based lift phone solution — and verify it is operational before the analogue line is cut over.
Q: Do residents need to do anything, or does the building handle everything?
A: It depends on the connection type. For FTTP buildings, every resident must book and keep an individual NBN Co installation appointment for the NTD to be installed in their unit — this cannot be done without access to each lot. For FTTB buildings, residents do not need to allow technicians into their units, but they do need to contact their chosen internet provider to activate an NBN service once the building upgrade is complete.
Q: How long does an NBN upgrade take for a strata building?
A: Common area infrastructure work is typically completed in a single technician visit, often within a few hours. However, the total elapsed time from NBN Co's initial notification to every resident having an active NBN service can span several weeks to a few months — particularly for FTTP buildings where individual unit appointments must be booked and completed. NBN Co's own timelines vary by region and building complexity. The NBN installation and activation guide provides a detailed breakdown of what to expect at each stage.