The deadline is nearing for residents at Newington and parts of Ballarat Central and Lake Wendouree to make the switch to the National Broadband Network.

The NBN Co announced on Wednesday that decommissioning of copper lines in the area would begin on May 15, as services started being connected to the NBN Co’s high-speed fibre network.

All copper lines in the area are expected to be disconnected by the end of June.

The NBN Co also revealed that while more than 2600 premises would be impacted by the changeover, so far only half had signed up to the NBN. 

In August, Redan and the remaining parts of central Ballarat will start the decommissioning process.

This will be followed by Black Hill, Soldiers Hill and Ballarat North in September. 

It is anticipated that following the rollout more than 7500 homes and businesses in Ballarat will be connected to the NBN by the end of next year.

NBN Co spokesman Andrew Sholl said it was not unusual for a significant number of businesses and households to wait until the last minute to connect.

“The remainder need to contact their providers and transition over the next six-month period,” Mr Sholl said. 

An NBN Co marketing campaign would intensify in the coming months alerting all residents and business owners to take steps to make the process as smooth as possible, he said. 

Construction on the $36 billion infrastructure project has been under way in the city for more than a year, with high-speed fibre-optic cables already installed under Ballarat streets.

In surrounding regions including Bacchus Marsh and Maddingley, the switch-over is already near completion.

The process for existing copper services in the region being disconnected began on October 5.

The rollout has not been without its share of controversy in Ballarat. 

Earlier this year The Courier reported that delays in connecting to the NBN across the city had sparked fears of a backlog, with traders voicing concerns the process was costing them business.   

In August, poor workmanship and shoddy construction work was blamed for long delays by residents living in Ballarat central and Redan.

However, Mr Sholl said the process was now on track. 

Under its migration plan, Telstra is required to start the copper disconnection process 18 months after NBN services have become available in the region.

Mr Sholl said it was paramount, that at the end of that period, phone companies and ISPs assured Telstra that their customers understood the disconnection process and the steps they needed to make to connect to the NBN.

Mr Sholl said if residents placed an order for an NBN service prior to the start of the disconnection process in May, then their current phone lines and internet services would continue to work until the NBN had been installed at their home or business.

He urged all residents and business owners to contact their providers about steps involved in making the switch in the coming weeks. 

Mr Sholl also encouraged residents who have an EFTPOS machine, a fax or an medical alarm connected to their current service to contact their providers in the coming weeks to make the transition to the NBN as easy and efficient as possible.

For details of the process, visit nbnco.com.au.

melissa.cunningham@fairfaxmedia.com.au