Moving premises? Plan the phones and internet together.

Confirm the premises before choosing the service

Record the unit or shop number, street address, suburb and postcode. Ask what connection equipment is already present and who can arrange access to shared communications areas.

nbn recommends checking the technology at the new address early. An internet service used at the previous premises does not establish what can be ordered at the next one.

• Confirm the exact unit or tenancy with the landlord or building manager.
• Check the available connection and any installation requirements.
• Identify who can approve access and any building work.

List the work that depends on the connection

Start with a normal working day: staff calls, payments, online orders, booking systems, cloud software and remote access. Include devices supplied or managed by another company.

Give each item an owner. For payment terminals, alarms and other specialist equipment, ask that provider to confirm compatibility and any work it needs to carry out.

• List the phone numbers and call-handling features to keep.
• Map desk, Wi-Fi and equipment locations for the new layout.
• Check cabling, power and where the network equipment will be installed.

Coordinate orders, access and phone numbers

Agree who places each order, who attends site, who supplies equipment and who tests the finished service. Keep a written list of dependencies so a fit-out delay or access issue can be discussed with the right person.

Before relying on keeping your existing landline numbers, confirm they can be used at the new address; the number area and the gaining provider's porting rules both apply. Arrange number transfers with the gaining provider. Keep existing numbers active while the transfer is being arranged, and confirm the treatment of other bundled services before cancelling anything.

A date from a planning tool is indicative. Confirm installation and transfer arrangements with the providers involved before relying on them for opening day.

Discuss a temporary connection if timing is uncertain

A mobile broadband router may help while a fixed connection is being arranged. Check coverage at the actual site, expected usage, equipment compatibility and the quoted costs first.

A temporary connection still needs testing against the applications you intend to use. It may not provide the capacity, public IP behaviour or recovery characteristics of the final service.

Test the things your staff will actually use

Agree a handover checklist before opening day. Test incoming and outgoing calls, reception routing, the Wi-Fi areas you need and access to the business applications in scope. Coordinate payment-terminal checks with its provider.

If backup internet is part of the setup, arrange a controlled failure-and-recovery test. Record who to contact if a test fails and which temporary arrangement has been agreed.

• Nominate a person to accept the handover.
• Keep support contacts and agreed responsibilities accessible to staff.
• Review old services after the new setup and number transfers have been checked.