There are only a few days until the 3G network is shut down for good. No more extensions, as 3G goes dark. How will it happen?
October 28 is only a few days away, and that means the end of the 3G network across Australia is finally here.
It’s something Telstra and Optus have been promising for well over a year now, and stalling several times, as well. Australians saw extension after extension putting a hold to the shutdown several times in the past year, but the date will finally arrive next week, so what will happen? Telstra has outlined the approach.
3G access in states will go dark starting with Tasmania
Australia’s only island state will see the first 3G shut down, with Tasmania going down from October 28.
“It is a state that doesn’t share borders so we’re able to have better control of the overall experience to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible before we close down the mainland states and territories,” wrote Channa Seneviratne on a Telstra Exchange blog detailing the shut down.
From there, Telstra will move quickly as it switches off the 3G network across states, with the closure expected to be complied by November 4, barely one week after it begins.
Incompatible phones will be blocked
The shut down will primarily affect 3G phones, but includes a bunch of other devices that use 3G you may not expect, such as medical alert devices, remote cameras on rural plots of land using 3G, and even older EFTPOS terminals.
However, much of the focus is on phones, and it may even affect some 4G phones, as well.
While most 4G and 5G phones sold in the past five years have the correct settings for emergency calls in Australia, and default to the right 4G network using the 700MHz spectrum, not every phone used in Australia will… and that’s a problem.
Phones purchased from outside Australia may not have been configured to use this spectrum, and worse, some may switch back to the 3G network entirely.
If you’re not sure whether you have one of these devices, particularly if you’ve bought a phone from outside Australia, you may want to text the number 3 to 3498 immediately, and work out your next steps.
You may be fine, but you also could be in a group several thousand strong that needs to act and consider your next steps with a new phone as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, if your phone is not compatible, it may be blocked.
“Under a new federal law that comes into effect next week, when we start closing the 3G network, we will be required to block some mobile phones,” wrote Seneviratne.
“These phones aren’t compatible with our network because they depend on 3G for Triple Zero calls. From 12.01am 28 October we will begin blocking all devices which aren’t able to call Triple Zero to ensure we’re complying with this new law.”
Telstra says 4G has reached 3G’s parity
One of Telstra’s main promises throughout this whole ordeal has been getting the 4G reach and range up to the levels of 3G, essentially hitting parity, and that is something the telco has said it has delivered on.
Its latest numbers tout 4G reach at 99.7 percent of the Australia population, with 5G available to over 89 percent. Telstra says the reach should improve, too, as part of the 3G spectrum will be repurposed to improve both 4G and 5G networks, improving capacity overall.
