"We are not taking any new orders for service on the interim satellite Melbourne beam – there is a wait list for service if equipment is already installed at premises," NBN Co spokeswoman Simone Bergholcs told Fairfax Media. "There was always going to be a gap in capacity between the Interim satellite and NBN Co’s long-term satellite – and that is why the successful launch of the long-term satellite is so important as it has greater capacity and will be able to offer more services to end users."

Ms Bergholcs added that people living near state borders may still be able to access another state’s beam and should contact NBN Co.

A spokesman for Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbul said the government was considering buying more interim capacity on existing satellites.

NBN Co currently expects to deliver broadband via satellite to about 3 per cent of premises in rural and remote Australia. The rest of the country would be connected through fixed-wireless or fixed-infrastructure.

One man, who didn’t want to be named, told Fairfax he was angry to find out the Melbourne beam was full after he and his wife purchased a house in Mount Bruno, near Wangaratta in north-east Victoria. They had checked before purchasing that the property would be eligible for NBN Co’s satellite service.