Can I Keep My BigPond Email Address If I Move Away From Telstra?

Many Australian households and businesses have used the same @bigpond.com, @bigpond.net.au or @telstra.com email address for years.

So when we're helping a customer move their internet service from Telstra to WTCO, one of the first questions we often hear is:

The most important advice is simple.

Don't cancel your Telstra service first

If your BigPond email address is important to you, don't cancel your existing Telstra NBN service until you've confirmed what will happen to your email account.

Changing internet providers and changing email providers are two different things.

Your new WTCO NBN connection can provide the internet connection while an existing email account may continue to operate separately — provided Telstra allows that particular mailbox to remain active.

That's why we recommend sorting out the email account before disconnecting the old Telstra service.

What should I do before moving my NBN?

Your BigPond email isn't your internet connection

An email address such as yourname@bigpond.com is an email service. Your NBN connection is what provides internet access to your premises.

That means you don't necessarily need a Telstra NBN connection simply to access email. What matters is whether Telstra continues to maintain your particular BigPond mailbox after the associated internet service changes.

This should always be confirmed before disconnecting your Telstra account.

Moving to FTTP? It's a good time to check the whole setup

If you're upgrading from an older NBN connection to Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), WTCO can do more than simply submit an internet order.

For business customers in particular, we recommend looking at:

• The proposed location of the new NBN equipment
• Where your modem/router should be installed
• Existing network and data cabling
• Wi-Fi coverage
• Business phone systems and VoIP services
• Static IP requirements
• Existing Telstra services that may still be required
• BigPond/Telstra email accounts
• The appropriate NBN speed and business service level
• How and when the existing internet service should be disconnected

The aim is a planned changeover, rather than cancelling one service and hoping everything works when the new one arrives.

A better long-term option for businesses

If your business is still using a BigPond address as its main public email address, an NBN changeover is also a good opportunity to consider moving towards an email address using your own business domain.

A business-owned domain gives you much more control if you change internet providers again in the future.

You don't necessarily need to stop using your BigPond address immediately. A staged migration can allow customers and suppliers time to update their records while your business gradually moves to its own domain.