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More than a million Australians may not be able to call Triple Zero when telcos shut down the 3G network in the coming months.
Telstra will close its 3G network on June 30, while Optus will end the service in September. Vodafone disconnected 3G for its customers last December.
While most phones currently in service primarily access 4G or 5G networks, there are an estimated three million devices – including phones, EFTPOS machines, cars, security cameras and medical alarms – that still rely on 3G.
There is also now concern about the estimated one million 4G phones that are old or were bought abroad and rely on 3G to call emergency services.
These phones use 4G for other services like calling and texting, but use 3G to call Triple Zero.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland is speaking to a “working group” including major telecoms companies every two weeks to find a solution.
“Supporting Australians’ access to Triple Zero is essential,” he said last month.
“While the Government supports the safe transition from 3G, it is important that Australians are aware that some devices in the mobile market are not properly configured to contact emergency services on the 4G network.”
Telstra will close its 3G network on June 30, while Optus will end the service in September.
Shadow communications minister David Coleman last month accused the Albanian government of being too slow on the issue.
“Last November, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association warned about the risks of accessing the Triple Zero service with the closure of 3G networks,” he said.
‘So why has the Albanian government not adequately engaged with this issue until now?
“We welcome the fact that the government has finally woken up to the imminent risks that many thousands of people will face in being able to call Triple Zero after the closure of 3G networks.”
Telstra on Monday shared an instructional video showing customers what to do if their devices are affected.
“If you or someone you know is a Telstra customer, or has a device that uses Telstra’s mobile network, simply text SMS 3 to 3498,” they said.
More than a million Australians may not be able to call Triple Zero when telcos officially cut 3G in the coming months (file image)
“We will respond to let you know if you will still be able to use the device you are sending messages from on our network and if you need to take any action.”
There are reportedly 113,000 Telstra mobile customers still using 3G.
Optus said it will contact customers with affected devices directly.
EFTM.com editor and technical commentator Trevor Long said the change shouldn’t worry anyone who has bought a phone in the last five years.
“The greatest risk is for people with extremely old phones, which – even though 5G is five years old and 4G is a decade older – don’t even connect to 4G,” Long said.
The shutdown is likely to be most concerning for those using medical devices that still use the 3G network, which Long said is a big risk for “connected medical devices.”
“Not only because they may be old devices, but even the most recent devices sold just five years ago may not have had 4G capabilities,” he said.
“So there’s a risk that people will think this doesn’t apply to them because they only got the device five years ago, but in reality they could be left with a device that simply doesn’t work at the most important time a year from now.” .’