More than a million older 4G mobile phones at risk of being blocked from making triple-0 calls in 3G shutdown

More than a million older 4G mobile phones at risk of being blocked from making triple-0 calls in 3G shutdownThere are concerns more than a million mobile phones may be unable to make emergency calls following the 3G shutdown. Telstra is due to switch off its 3G network in June and Optus will follow in September.

Despite the deadline quickly approaching, about 113,000 Telstra customers have not yet upgraded their 3G handsets. Optus would not provide the ABC with a figure.But of greater concern to the government is a subset of older 4G-enabled handsets that may not be able to call triple-0 once the 3G networks are switched off because of the way those phones are configured.

"Options exist under law for the government to consider proposals to delay the planned switchover, subject to consultation and procedural processes," she said.Shadow Communications Minister David Coleman has accused the minister of being too slow to act, saying the peak industry body, AMTA, raised the alarm about the 3G shutdown and access to triple-0 services in November last year.

With 113,000 customers yet to upgrade, Telstra has launched a simple new service that customers can use to determine whether their device will be affected:"Since we announced the closure of our 3G network almost five years ago, we have seen a significant decline in 3G usage across our national network," a Telstra spokesperson said in a statement.If in doubt, Telstra customers can sms 3 to 3498 and the telco will let them know if they need to do anything.

Ed Bennett owns a tourism business in Broome, WA, and says huge parts of the region still rely on 3G coverage.In addition to mobile phones, there are plenty of other devices that may rely on 3G connectivity including baby monitors, medical alarms, security cameras, EFTPOS machines, and farming equipment like water monitors to ensure they are not solely reliant on 3G.

Mobile Phones 3G Shutdown Emergency Calls Telstra Optus Network

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