Tens of thousands of Australians risk being left in the lurch as Australia upgrades its mobile network.
Australia’s two largest telecommunications companies will close their 3G services to their customers as they look to modernize Australia’s telephone network.
The shutdown began late last year, when Vodafone became the first telco to disconnect its 3G network, with Telstra and Optus following suit on October 28.
There are phones in Australia that rely solely on the 3G network for voice calls, and these phones cannot make calls when the switch to 4G occurs.
Madeleine Achenza, who uses a four-year-old iPhone 11 with the amaysim network, received only 11 days notice to update her device. He said messages from his telecommunications company made it seem like he simply needed to change plans.
As part of the upgrade, you will have to buy a new phone or risk not being able to make calls, send text messages, or use the Internet on your device.
‘I was very frustrated when I found out I had to buy a new phone. “My current phone, despite being four years old, works perfectly well and I haven’t budgeted to spend more than $1,000 on a new one, so it will really put a dent in my savings,” Ms Achenza said.
It was confirmed to NewsWire that 740,000 devices in Australia needed to be replaced, a mix of older or foreign-made devices.
Australia’s two largest telecommunications companies will close their 3G services to customers as they look to modernize Australia’s telephone network.
There are phones in Australia that rely solely on the 3G network for voice calls, and these phones cannot make calls when the switch to 4G occurs.
According to recent estimates, there are still around 59,000 devices in the country that will need to be updated over the next week.
To see if your device is one of the affected phones, text the number 3 to 3498 from the device you think is affected.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the move to 4G and 5G would increase the data capacity, speed and capacity of Australia’s mobile network.
‘This means better quality mobile telephony, less network congestion and a better experience across the country, including our regions. “This will make a real difference to households and businesses using more connected devices than ever before,” Ms Rowland said.
Optus chief strategy officer Harvey Wright told NewsWire that the telco had sent more than 10 million messages to affected customers across its base, including instructions on how to get support throughout the process.
‘To maintain connectivity, customers need to obtain a compatible device. “We’re offering a range of different options for those customers,” he said.
Optus chief strategy officer Harvey Wright told NewsWire that the telco had sent more than 10 million messages to affected customers across its base, including instructions on how to get support throughout the process.
Telstra will disconnect its 3G before October 28
“We recognize that we are in the midst of a cost of living crisis, so we are offering customers a range of discounted and zero-cost devices to help with that upgrade process,” Mr Wright said.
Telstra was also contacted for this story but did not respond.
Businesses are warned to check their devices
It will not only be mobile devices that will be affected, but also other key equipment that uses the 3G network.
Wright said while the upgrade would help improve reliability, capacity and speed in Australia, not only mobile devices would be affected but potentially other devices such as tablets and dongles.
Customers may be using a device that is:
- A 4G device that uses 3G for emergency calls
- A foreign or gray market device that does not support Australian 4G technology
Small and Family Business Ombudsman Bruce Billson warned businesses to review their systems before October 28.
“Many of us don’t realize that there is a lot of technology and equipment we use every day that is enabled by 3G as a wireless communications link and will stop working when the system shuts down later this month unless be updated,” Mr. Billson said.
He said telecoms companies and technology manufacturers and providers could do more to improve awareness and action among small businesses, identify those who might unknowingly be using 3G and explain the broad effects and options for upgrading or replacing their teams as they progress. as soon as possible.
‘Don’t risk getting caught. Please check the functionality of your technology so you don’t become a victim of 3G,” Mr Billson said.
