Australia’s telcos are completelyoff their 3G networks today.
Telstra and Optus say theis necessary to improve the capacity, speed, and reliability of their 4G and 5G networks.
Vodafone already completed its 3G shutdown earlier this year.
Following the switch-off, devices relying on the 3G network will be unable to make or receive calls, send texts, or access the internet. This includes emergency calls.
Australia’s 3G shutdown
In December last year, Vodafone became the first telco to shut down 3G. Following this, Optus and Telstra said they would shutdown their 3G network later in the year.
The telcos will reallocate the technology used to run their 3G networks, to instead support 4G and 5G services.
According to the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, the 3G closure will mainly impact older devices.
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Newer devices are built with VoLTE technology, which enables them to operate on the 4G and 5G networks.
Some devices don’t have VoLTE capacity or revert to 3G when calling emergency services. When the 3G network shuts down, those devices won’t be able to make emergency calls.
Any medical devices, security devices, or EFTPOS machines on a certain 3G spectrum will also lose coverage.
What can I do?
To check your phone’s network , look at the status bar at the top of your screen for indicators like 3G, 4G, 5G, VoLTE, or LTE. If you see 5G, no action is needed.
For 4G, ensure all software updates are installed and VoLTE is enabled (iPhone 6 and later will automatically have done this).
If your device shows 3G, it will not work after the shutdown, and you will likely need to replace it.
