Telstra, the nation's largest mobile network, as well as Optus, its main competitor, will shut down their 3G services on Monday, October 28.
News.com.au reported today that Telstra users are being hit with "ridiculous" increases to their phone bill as they switch to pricier plans.
As a result of the shutdown, announced first in 2019 and delayed twice to give users more time to modify their devices, tens of thousands of Aussies will be left without a functioning phone.
The telcos' shutdown also coincides with a second round of payment plan increases. Users of the telco’s services were first told these were coming in July, news.com.au reported.
Customers with monthly postpaid plans with the telecommunications group were hit with price rises on August 27. As of Tuesday, those with prepaid plans have also been affected.
For the past two months, Telstra and its major competitor Optus have been running a joint campaign. The purpose of this was to prepare people for the shutdown.
According to recent estimates, there are still approximately 740,000 outdated devices across Australia that need to be replaced before the deadline, along with approximately 59,000 devices that need to be updated within the next three days. (Customers can check if their device is impacted by texting '3' to 3498).
This is the last step of a process that began five years ago with the decision by the Federal Government to shut down 3G services.
Telstra towers have been upgraded, so as of October 28, the shutdown should take about a week to complete. Optus, however, still needs to upgrade some mobile phone towers to 4G and 5G. There may be a few months of downtime before 3G is completely shut off in some areas, ABC reported.
Over the past few weeks, Telstra and Optus invested in a public safety campaign to ensure anyone who still depends on the 3G network for connectivity – for mobile and data – is aware of the actions they need to take to stay connected ahead of the closure of each network.
It is critical that customers check their devices are compatible with the 4G or 5G network. This is particularly to ensure they are still able to call emergency services and act upon any communications they receive from their service provider.
It is also imperative for users of connected devices like medical monitors, IoT sensors and EFTPOS to check whether they rely on the 3G network. This is done by contacting the manufacturer or supplier.
Telstra and Optus have listened to feedback from stakeholders and made significant investments and upgrades.
Closing 3G is necessary to free up spectrum for 4G and 5G networks. This is so faster, more secure and more reliable mobile services Australians need and expect can be provided, Telstra said in a statement.
“We have been communicating to customers about the need to prepare and make the move for almost five years. This has included multiple letters, bill messages, SMS, public awareness campaigns, advertising – even door knocking and sending free phones to people in vulnerable circumstances, and our support for customers won’t end the day the network closes,” said Telstra CEO Vicki Brady.
Optus Interim CEO, Michael Venter said: “Optus has pulled out all the stops to guide a small number of our customers impacted by the 3G switch off through the process of updating their device – and I am pleased to say the majority of them are now on compatible devices.”
“Adding to our extensive direct communications and marketing efforts to date, we are joining with Telstra to launch a final public awareness campaign to really drive home the safety message and get the final groups of customers to act.”
Both carriers are confident they’ve exhausted every avenue of customer communication available to them. This additional public awareness campaign will ensure that the upcoming 3G closures are front of mind for all Australians.
The closure will impact 3G only and some 4G capable devices, including those that aren’t VoLTE or 700Mhz (band 28) enabled, or handsets hardwired to use 3G to call 000.
Australians are reminded to check their technology ahead of the closure. The tech to check includes mobile phones, personal emergency alarms, EFTPOS terminals, smartwatches, tablets and even fire and security alarms.
“Both 4G and 5G represent significant advancements over 3G, providing faster, more reliable, and more efficient connectivity,” says Channa Seneviratne, Telstra Technology Engagement & Advancement Executive.
“The 3G network is old technology and is not fit for the needs of Australians today. Comparing a typical 3G site to that of a basic low band 5G, the 5G supports five times the spectrum capabilities and adds around 20 times more capacity (throughput), highlighting the vastly superior power of this newer technology.
“With the 3G network currently accounting for less than one per cent of mobile traffic on the Telstra network, the time is right for us to close it so we can focus on investing in future proofing our network to meet customer demand rather than in maintaining old technology that its increasingly hard to source parts for,” says Seneviratne.
Optus VP Government and Regulatory Andrew Sheridan said: “We’ve been speaking directly to these customers for many months now, but this campaign is a big push to reach the customers who have not already made the switch.
“Once we have switched off 3G, customers will reap the benefits of the Optus 4G and 5G network.
“We expect about a 30 per cent improvement in 4G speed and about a 40 per cent improvement in 5G speed, as well as about an 80 per cent improvement in regional 5G coverage and lower power consumption,” said Sheridan.