With only a few weeks until 3G is shut off for good, the end really is nigh for the old third-gen mobile network. What do you need to do ASAP?
Australia’s networks are changing, and if you have an older phone, you are potentially at risk. That’s been the news for the past year, though in recent months, it has ramped up for a pretty obvious reason: as the October 28 3G shutdown deadline approaches, things are becoming notably more urgent.
According to both Optus and Telstra, the shutdown is on track for October 28, a date that has already been extended several times. Vodafone pulled the plug last year, but both Optus and Telstra have extended it several times, and it affects the virtual network operators using their networks, as well.
By now it probably seems like we’re flogging a dead horse, but this topic is still critically important, particularly if you’re not sure what phone you have.
Phones purchased in the past five years should be fine, provided they were bought inside Australia, but anything else as clearly at risk. Older models made for 3G and 4G can both be affected, and while 3G phones will clearly not work when the shutdown occurs, some 4G models are affected, as well.
“The customers impacted by this change may include international students new to Australia or customers deciding to activate a mobile phone which has not been used for a significant amount of time,” a spokesperson for Optus told Pickr, noting that any phone unable to make Triple Zero calls when the 3G network is switched off is considered “unsafe“.
“In preparation for the upcoming 3G switch off on 28 October, from 10 September all mobiles making a connection to the Optus network, whether it be new or reconnecting, will need to be able to make Triple Zero calls over 4G and 5G. Phones that are not able to do so will be blocked,” they said.
“These blocked phones will not be able to make Triple Zero calls when the 3G network is switched off.”
If this is where you find yourself in, it’s well worth texting 3 to 3498, something we’ve filled out for Australian phones with a link which will text the right number to a phone checking service run by Telstra and Optus. It makes that 3498 messaging service so crucial, making it possible to check your phone in one text.
For most people, the phone will be the thing that needs replacing, and doing so is fairly easy: head to your nearest phone shop and buy something you’re happy and familiar with.
However, the 3G shutdown can also affect other devices, such as medical devices, EFTPOS machines, and some mobile-capable cameras, so if you have something like that, make sure to check it immediately, because that deadline seems entirely confirmed.
“I can confirm that we will be closing the Telstra 3G Network from October 28 2024 and we encourage customers that haven’t taken action to do so without delay,” a spokesperson for Telstra told Pickr.
“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.”
