Telstra and Optus move 3G network closure to October

Telstra and Optus have announced that they will extend the closure of their 3G networks from the end of August to 28 October, to give Australian customers and businesses more time to prepare. The news comes two weeks after the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee delivered an interim report recommending that the shutdown should be postponed until Telstra and Optus can prove the 4G network will provide coverage equivalent to or better than the coverage provided by the 3G network, while the government and industry should contact and help the owners of affected devices.

First announced in 2019, the 3G network closure is necessary to free up spectrum for the 4G and 5G networks so that faster, more secure and more reliable mobile services can be provided to Australians. The closure will impact all 3G-only and some 4G-capable devices, including those that aren’t VoLTE or 700 MHz (Band 28) enabled as well as handsets that are hardwired to use 3G to call Triple Zero.

With both Telstra and Optus saying they have exhausted every avenue of customer communication available to them over the past five years, they will now undertake a national public media campaign to ensure anyone who still depends on the 3G network for mobile or data connectivity is aware of the actions they need to take to stay connected. The campaign is expected to reach more than 90% of Australians and will emphasise the impact on both traditional handsets and other devices that rely on the 3G network, such as personal medical alarms, emergency lift phones, fire alarms, medical monitors, IoT sensors and EFTPOS machines.

The telcos have also committed to ensuring 3G-only areas will have no loss of coverage as a result of the switchover, with Telstra undertaking independent testing in impacted areas to ensure this occurs.

Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland said the postponement is “a sensible move by both major telcos” and encouraged Australians to use the additional time to “take action and check if their device could be impacted”.

“The government remains concerned about a subset of 4G phones configured by the manufacturer to default to 3G for Triple Zero calls, and personal medical alarms that rely on the 3G network,” she said.

The Mobile Industry Working Group, set up by the Australian Government earlier this year, is continuing to address concerns about the risk to public safety, while improving efforts to identify and contact customers with impacted handsets and make information available on the impacts of the switchover. Meanwhile, it is critical that Australians check their devices are compatible with the 4G or 5G networks by texting ‘3’ from the device in question to ‘3498’, visiting www.3gclosure.com.au or contacting the device manufacturer or supplier.

Image credit: iStock.com/jpgfactory