Senate committee recommends delaying 3G shutdown

The Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee has delivered an interim report into the planned shutdown of Australia’s 3G mobile network, recommending that the shutdown — set to take place at the end of the month — should be postponed.

The committee’s report, released on 1 August, recommends that the Minister for Communications should urgently meet with Telstra and Optus to delay the shutdown until they can prove the 4G network will provide coverage equivalent to or better than the coverage provided by the 3G network. The government and industry should also audit the number and type of devices that will be affected and contact and help the owners of those devices, with a focus on devices that are likely to have a significant impact on public health, safety and business operations.

The report has been welcomed by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), which recently gave testimony to the committee noting that many businesses still use equipment that relies on the 3G network — including EFTPOS terminals, industrial routers, tracking equipment on fleet vehicles and costly surveyors’ equipment which would need to be replaced.

“It appears that much of the equipment that businesses use that relies on 3G had previously been overlooked,” said ACCI CEO Andrew McKellar.

“If this shutdown is to be delayed it would be a last-minute reprieve for affected businesses, with Telstra scheduled to shut down its 3G signal on August 31 and Optus to follow the following day (September 1).

“A postponement will give businesses, particularly small businesses in regional areas who are likely to be most heavily affected, time to upgrade to new equipment and therefore delay costs.”

The CEO of Surveyors Australia, Michelle Blicavs, also found the report encouraging, stating, “It’s really pleasing to see that the government has listened to industry and recognised that this shutdown has much wider implications than the telcos initially seemed to realise.

“This senate inquiry has clearly led to a much broader understanding of the consequences and that’s a very good thing for the business community.”

Shadow Communications Minister David Coleman was far more critical, saying the “damning” report confirms that “millions of Australian householders and businesses have been let down by a government that took too long to act”.

“The inquiry report confirmed that the government was warned about the problems of 4G phones not being able to call the emergency triple zero service as far back as June and July last year,” Coleman said.

“It’s also clear that the government didn’t start to take the mounting concerns about the 3G shutdown seriously until months later.

“I call on the minister to end the uncertainty for consumers and the telecommunications industry, announce her plans for the 3G shutdown and explain how the government will fix this mess.”

In a radio interview on 6 August, Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland acknowledged that she has the power to extend the shutdown date herself — subject to consultation and the necessary processes — if this was deemed to be in the public interest. No further updates have been provided since then.

Image credit: iStock.com/No-Mad