"We were early adopters to the NBN, signing on within weeks (via Telstra) of it coming on line in the area," Chris Pennington, a Manning based senior executive with a Sydney based IT company, said.

Chris works and lives half an hour south of Taree, and needs constant access to a reliable phone and internet connection.

"I've mixed feelings about my experience with the NBN. When it works it's great. The speed is approximately four times faster than the previous ADSL 1. It's not 'amazingly fast', but it is certainly better than what we had previously," he said.

NBN Co is currently setting up the network across the country, carrying voice and data at the speed of light. It then acts as a wholesale body to retail internet service providers (ISPs) which sign up to sell a range of their own different retail packages. Just how fast it works can depend on the hardware, and the package chosen.

In this region, NBN Co provides a list of 78 locally available ISPs to choose from. They warn that before signing up with a retailer, residents using monitored medical, fire, and security alarms, ATMs and EFTPOS machines, should contact their relevant companies to check which combination of products from which ISPs work best. Decisions should be based on a range of advice received, not just one.

There are two ways most residents across Greater Taree will access the NBN. More inaccessible regions are being offered a fixed wireless connection, which consists of a small fixed antenna pointed towards the closest NBN tower; more urbanised areas are being offered a fixed 'Fibres To The Premises' (FTTP) connection - essentially a cable dug underground leading straight to each building, the installation of which depends on where you choose to put it.

Those properties with access to fixed fibre cables will be written to a number of times by NBN Co after the network has become locally available with a warning that all copper PSTN wires (affecting landline telephones; medical, security, fire alarms; EFTPOS and ATMs) in that area will be turned off permanently on a fixed date, 18 months after it has become available.

Unless using an ISDN line, for which there is currently no comparable product available on NBN, anyone wishing to retain a fixed line service must sign up with an NBN retailer to avoid being cut off from all communication services, bar a mobile phone.

For some in the region, this shutdown will begin from January 2016. Fixed line clients also have the option of a four hour battery backup provided by NBN at no extra cost. The use of this in times of power failures may or may not be supported by various retailers, so needs to be discussed before signing up.

"The process is not automatic, people really need to work out the best plan for themselves, what sorts of things they are going to do on computers, are they uploading photos, skyping with grandchildren, that sort of thing," Darren Rudd, a spokesperson for NBN Co, said.

Others, such as Chris Pennington, are offered a fixed wireless connection. This has different options available, with legislation actually protecting copper line services in wireless areas for up to 10 years, with another 10 years proposed. As a result services such as landline phones do not have a disconnection date, so someone not needing high speed access can actually choose to have nothing to do with the NBN, and remain using the internet and landline services supplied by their current retailers.

However not all the options are being conveyed to customers by the retailers.

"At the time of signing up, I was deeply concerned that Telstra would not allow me to keep the copper line phone connection. I strenuously argued that point with Telstra, to the point of cancelling my order and seeking other providers.

"Two weeks later, I returned to Telstra, after recognising the other options were not favourable either. I was told the only way I could keep my copper line was if I suffered from a medical condition. I was also advised that the 'government' was mandating all copper lines be disused and that NBN was to replace all copper in due course - effectively I was told I had no choice, it was just a question of timing," he said.

Often working from home, Chris now uses an NBN phone line for home, and a VoIP (voice over internet) phone for work.

"Unfortunately small internet connection drop-outs everyday cause my work phone conversations to drop out, not ideal in a business context as you can imagine. The internet drop outs are so rapid and minor they do not affect normal web-surfing, but they are sufficient to break the phone connection," he said, hoping his copper line can be turned back on.

"The advantage for me in keeping the copper line would have been to have two stable phone lines; one for my work and one for home."

Wireless NBN units rely completely on mains power, and so anyone choosing to cut costs by having their copper wire disconnected will be solely reliant on mobile phones in times of blackouts or equipment failures. In those cases, if mobile phones are flat or reception is intermittent, it might be impossible to make calls before a technician can get there to fix the problem, which may take up to several weeks. The option to play it safe and retain a copper wire however comes at a cost, with a retailer's monthly fee and of course no guarantee that it will continue to work in times of natural disasters.

Nonetheless, money can still be saved by making outgoing calls through the NBN, in line with retail voice and data packages provided by ISPs. Existing phone numbers can be kept on request.

"The uptake in the region has been very healthy. People looking for speed on a fixed line is tracking above the trend," Mr Rudd said.

"Really, it's about maximising connections, to anyone, anywhere. That's what it's all about."

So take the time to consider your needs and options, and welcome to the latest stage of the digital revolution.