Telcos race to reach mobile phone users ahead of 3G shutdown

Australia's 3G mobile phone network is shutting down in coming months, meaning people will now have to use the 4G or 5G networks. At the moment up to 530,000 Australians are still using devices that are incompatible with the new networks.

Telecommunications and business consultant Paul Budde says the 3G network is shutting down because operators - like Telstra, Optus, and TPG - need more network efficiency. Both Telstra and Optus have launched a service for customers to check the status of their device by texting "3" to the number 3498.He says Telstra is giving free handsets to eligible customers: those who are in difficult situations, experiencing financial hardship, living with a life-threatening medical condition or recovering from a natural disaster.

"So firstly, with regards to devices, we've looked at what people currently have in that customer cohort and as much as possible we are providing them with like-for-like: so if they have a big button phone, we're providing a big button phone or if it's a flip phone, we are doing our best to provide a flip phone; so they don't have a user experience that's dramatically different to what they're getting now.

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