If your new address has been connected to the NBN before, activation can take as little as a day to 3 business days. If it's never been connected, a technician visit is needed and it can take up to two weeks — book as early as you can once you know your move date, and try to schedule activation for your actual move-in day.
How to do it
- Check your address on the nbn network first to see which connection scenario applies to you before you book anything.
- Book roughly 10 days ahead if you can, especially for a never-connected address — a technician visit needs real lead time, and moving week is the worst time to discover one is required.
- Compare providers on the same underlying network — the NBN itself is wholesale infrastructure sold on by many retailers at different prices and with different inclusions, so the connection type doesn't lock you into one provider.
- Confirm your equipment situation — most modems/routers are the customer's to keep, but check with your outgoing provider if you're unsure, since a leased device is a real if less common exception.
It's also worth asking your provider whether a mobile hotspot or temporary SIM is a sensible stop-gap if your connection date lands a few days after you actually move in.
If the connection runs late
- Raise it with your provider first, in writing, with your order number and the date you were given.
- If that doesn't resolve it, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman is a free service that handles complaints about unreasonable delays connecting a new service and missed technician appointments. See TIO: connecting and disconnecting your service.
- Double-check the address on your order. A mismatch between the address you gave and the provider's records can hold up a connection.
Book power at the same time: see connecting electricity and gas, and our electricity and internet guide for how both work by state.
Common mistakes
- Assuming your existing provider "just follows you" to the new address without a fresh order — it doesn't.
- Leaving an NBN technician booking until moving week, when the up-to-2-week lead time for a never-connected address can't be compressed.
- Cancelling the old connection before the new one is confirmed active, leaving a gap with no internet.
What goes wrong
Example scenario
A never-connected NBN address
- What can go wrong
- You order internet in moving week for an address that has never been connected to the NBN, so a technician visit is needed.
- The impact
- Activation can take up to two weeks.
- How to avoid it
- Check the address on the NBN website first, then book about 10 days ahead, or earlier for a never-connected address. Keep your old connection until the new one is active.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does it take to connect internet at a new address?
- If the address already has an active connection, often just a few business days. If it's never been connected before, a technician visit can be required and the whole process can take up to 2 weeks — check your new address's connection status as early as possible.
- How much notice should I give?
- Book around 10 days ahead if the address has never been connected before, per most major providers' own guidance — enough buffer to avoid a gap with no internet at your new place.