Updated September 2026
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As technology has developed, landlines and fax machines may have seemingly declined in use. However, they are still surprisingly prevalent. Although developed for analog networks, these devices have survived and adapted to an increasingly digital world through faxing apps and online services.
By 2026, the NBN rollout is complete across Australia and the old copper phone network has been switched off nationwide. If you still use a physical fax machine, connecting it through the NBN isn’t one option among several anymore. It’s the only way to keep it working.
What Is the NBN?
The National Broadband Network (NBN) is a wholesale, open-access data network built across Australia.
The idea behind this infrastructure project was to provide high-speed broadband access, up to one gigabit per second, to homes and businesses nationwide. It combines three technologies: optic fiber, fixed wireless, and satellite transmission.
Building the NBN meant replacing the existing copper cable telephone network, and that was no small task. It’s among the largest infrastructure projects in Australia’s history.
That replacement work is now done. NBN Co reports the network passes more than 12.67 million premises, with over 8.66 million homes and businesses actively connected as of mid-2026. Telstra’s copper PSTN network has been fully retired, so any address that once ran on copper has already been migrated to the NBN or another supported service.
Does the NBN Have an Impact on Sending and Receiving Faxes?
Given the scale of this national project, you may wonder how it affects your communication tools, and specifically, whether it works with fax machines.
The short answer is yes. Your fax machine should function basically as it did before, as long as you’re willing to make a few adjustments. This comes down to the fact that fax machines are analog devices, and the NBN is a digital network. It needs to recognize your fax machine as a genuine IP device before it will send or receive anything.
Fax machines also use an older signaling standard called T.30, which expects a steady, uninterrupted connection. Because NBN connections send data in packets, a basic setup can sometimes cause dropped pages or failed transmissions, especially on longer faxes. That’s the main reason setup matters here, and it’s covered in the next section.
Related Reading:
- Can You Send a Fax From a Smartphone?
- How to Fax Documents From Your Computer (and Online) Without a Fax Machine
- How Do I Send a Fax From My Printer?
How to Connect a Fax Machine to the NBN
To bridge an analog fax machine to the NBN, you need an analog telephone adapter (ATA), a device that connects analog equipment to a digital network. It communicates with a server using different protocols and encodes and decodes the signal.
Look for an ATA or router that specifically supports the T.38 fax protocol. It’s built for packet-based networks and is more reliable for faxing than a standard voice-codec setup.
The setup itself is straightforward. Connect the ATA directly to your network and adjust its settings, which gives your fax machine its own IP network address. From there, link it to an SIP/VoIP account with a provider, where you can port your existing fax number or pick a new one. Once it’s set up, send a test fax to confirm everything works.
Fax Machine Alternatives for the NBN
In some cases, a fax machine won’t be fully compatible with the NBN. If that happens, it’s worth exploring a backup option.
| Option | Best For | What It Involves |
|---|---|---|
| Replace with a tested ATA-compatible fax machine | Offices that still need a physical machine | Buying new hardware confirmed to work with an ATA |
| Set up a fax server | Businesses sending high fax volumes | Dedicated server hardware and configuration, no machine needed |
| Use an online fax service | Anyone who’d rather skip hardware entirely or save money on maintenance and upkeep | Sending and receiving faxes as PDFs through email or an app |
Skipping the machine and ATA setup altogether is often the simplest route now that the copper network is gone. Online fax services send and receive faxes as PDF attachments over email or an app, so there’s no hardware, phone line, or NBN configuration to manage.
The Bottom Line
NBN is a source of pride for Australians, and this infrastructure now brings high-speed broadband access across the country.
With copper phone lines now retired everywhere, adapting a fax machine to the NBN isn’t optional the way it used to be. Connecting through an ATA will keep most machines working, and for the rest, solid alternatives are available.
