Telstra to shut down 3G mobile network by 2024 (AU)

[Halcyon]

Australia's largest mobile carrier, Telstra, have announced that by June 2024, 3G will be no more. The shutdown of 3G already commenced in March this year with the 2100 MHz band being the first to go with the 850 MHz band next to be phases out.

As it stands, only 0.3% of the population covered by Telstra's network does not have access to the 4G network (i.e.: 3G only coverage).

I'm assuming that these bands will be re-used for LTE and 5G services.

[OwO]

Pretty sure 3G has been shut down for many years here. I can only get either EDGE (2G) or LTE on my phone, and my older samsung 3G phone has only ever seen 2G connectivity here.

[Halcyon]

Pretty sure 3G has been shut down for many years here. I can only get either EDGE (2G) or LTE on my phone, and my older samsung 3G phone has only ever seen 2G connectivity here.

2G has been long gone in Australia since June 2018. Almost everyone uses 4G/LTE/5G nowadays, even in rural and remote areas. A lot of the old analog television spectrum was re-purposed for mobile networks.

[wilfred]

Given that only about 0.3% of customers actually use 3G and that 5G is now a reality in all Australian capital cities, I guess this doesn't come as much of a surprise.

It's no surprise to me that I'm amongst the 0.3%. I wonder how many of them also use a Windows phone.

I thought 5G needed much higher frequencies.

[Halcyon]

It's no surprise to me that I'm amongst the 0.3%. I wonder how many of them also use a Windows phone.

Your Windows phone is not capable of 4G at all? Or is it that your area is not covered by 4G?

I thought 5G needed much higher frequencies.

Yes you're right. Australia is using 3.5-3.6 GHz with 26-28 GHz coming later. I'd say the spectrum will be used to upgrade LTE in a lot of areas. I know my nearest Telstra tower is being upgraded to include the 900 MHz band (with 700 MHz currently in operation on 4G).

[ozcar]

It's no surprise to me that I'm amongst the 0.3%. I wonder how many of them also use a Windows phone.

Another 3G user here. I'm not surprised that I'm in a laggard category (again!), but I am surprised that the figure is so low. Where did that number come from?

I'm not a Windows phone user though.

[wilfred]

Your Windows phone is not capable of 4G at all? Or is it that your area is not covered by 4G?

It is 3G only. A pre-paid thing I got from Woolworths 3 or 4 years ago. I shall be sorry to replace it. For $29 it has given good service.

[ozcar]

I happen to have a current Australia Post catalogue lying here. The back page is full of phones, not one of which appear to support 5G, and two of them, Vodafone prepaids, are 3G only. With phones like that still for sale today, I'm even more surprised at that 0.3% figure. 

Maybe that number is for Telstra network only. But would the others be that different?

[soldar]

It's no surprise to me that I'm amongst the 0.3%.

I use an iPhone 4 with 3G. For a while now I've been hearing about 3G closing down in Spain but never paid much attention. Now I have less than 30 days left before they shut it down.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge which I understand supports 4G so I guess I have no other option but to change over. This phone needs new battery so I'll need to start there.

What a pain!

[beanflying]

One of the issues in Oz will be swapping out some of the remote Telemetry and Data that sits of the 3G network more than the phone users where it is a fairly simple consumer purchase to fix it.

The thing it may do is open up Lora or similar type use and gateways but given the size of this rock still never going to be a one technology suits all.

[johnh]

By then all international roaming on to Telstra in Australia will have been moved to 4G/VoLTE (Voice) 5G will be for data.

[Electro Detective]

It's not yet another of those 'buy a new phone NOW!

or else your finally paid off Samsung or iPhone will melt in your hand..'     scare jobs is it?

fwiw > VERY old phone/s  and windows phones  working fine on 3G

or whatever ?G Telstra flogs down here  = www.youtube.com/watch?v=txjqV6eKabs&feature=youtu.be&t=9





 

[Rerouter]

back in the 2G switch off, 4G serial data modems where stupidly expensive (~$500 each in volume)

so now I am looking at almost 2000 remote monitoring systems that need to be updated from a mixture of internal 3G modems, and previously upgraded 3G serial modems.
Still not as cheap as the 3G option was back then....

[beanflying]

It may not be as much of an issue for Government or larger businesses that have that sort of gear on 3G but for individuals, small business and agricultural users needing to either hopefully have specialty gear upgraded or more likely need to replace it it will be an impost and a significant chunk of change.

[Halcyon]

It's no surprise to me that I'm amongst the 0.3%. I wonder how many of them also use a Windows phone.

Another 3G user here. I'm not surprised that I'm in a laggard category (again!), but I am surprised that the figure is so low. Where did that number come from?

I'm not a Windows phone user though.

Sorry I misquoted (corrected original post) only 0.3% of the population has 3G-only coverage with Telstra. My mistake.

One of the issues in Oz will be swapping out some of the remote Telemetry and Data that sits of the 3G network more than the phone users where it is a fairly simple consumer purchase to fix it.

The thing it may do is open up Lora or similar type use and gateways but given the size of this rock still never going to be a one technology suits all.

I'm not sure that this will be as big of an issue as it was with the 2G shutdown. I would suggest most telemetry and devices such as lift alarms would have been replaced with 3G/4G compatible variants years ago. If they were so short-sighted and didn't think to future-proof their products then, oh well.