The copper in my elderly mother's street is being removed, so she has to move to fibre.

The fibre install was a saga, Chorus never came when they said they would, but that's over now, and the fibre is installed, and her phone works.

My mother's telco is Slingshot, and she wanted to stay with them, because she used a "calling pack" for $10 that covered international calls, I think to nominated countries, and national land line toll calls.

Her phone bill was typically $55 to $60, varying with the odd short mobile call.

So, it's a bit of a shock that the first bill post install is $228. She has been charged for internet back dated to when the fibre install was meant to have happened, $64, and internet for the current month for $92, and a $40 home line charge.

My mother has never used the internet, and has never coped with mobile phones (despite several attempts by various family over the years), perhaps because her hearing is not good.

The internet charge is IMO extortionate. The phone line plugs in to the ONT "tel" port, but did not seem to work until the Slingshot modem was delivered and switched on; though, that might be a coincidence.

Is it possible to get a land line without an internet charge? The Slingshot modem is not at all used, though I did connect to it briefly with my phone.