Telstra and Optus have kicked off their 6-week public safety awareness campaign ahead of the upcoming 3G network closures, reminding Australians to check their tech ahead of the closure. The tech to check includes mobile phones, personal emergency alarms, EFTPOS terminals, smartwatches, tablets and even fire and security alarms, which all need to be updated by 28 October.
It is critical customers check their devices and connected technology are compatible with the 4G or 5G network, particularly to ensure they are still able to call emergency services and act upon any communications they receive from their service provider.
Closing the 3G network paves the way for both Telstra and Optus to support increasing data demands and to repurpose spectrum to further grow 4G and 5G connectivity. It will also help ensure that Australians, and in particular, regional customers, have access to a network they can rely upon and trust.
"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 Mr 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 Mr Sheridan.
