Telstra and Optus will delay the planned closure of their 3G networks in order to conduct a final public safety awareness campaign amid concerns that emergency services calls and medical devices could be affected.
The article points out that consumer phones aren’t an issue. Its things like lifts with a 3g fallback for emergencies, with non4g capabikitybthat is the issue.
That’s the issue. They havnt planned for anything except consumer devices. Android is now recommending 2g be disabled for security, also, so less devices will try to connect to older network infrastructure over time.
I dont see how the telco vsnt see what devices are connecting and where, given their Sims are linked tons customer when they ping a tower. Surely they can identify the devices if they wanted. It might be there are just too many.
Basically: if your phone is “4g” but you get told it’s gonna get cut off when they tank the 3g network, then that most likely means the phone doesn’t support Voice Over Long Term Evolution (volte) … it uses 3g for calls.
Consumer phones in regional areas are still an issue.
As @baku said, 3G has better range than 4G (which has better range than 5G).
If someone in the middle of the bush, or on a country road needs to use their 5G phone, they may not have coverage.
I have a friend that had to drive 10km with a cracked skull, ribs and broken arm and leg because he didn’t have coverage on his farm. He now has 3G coverage, but not 4G.
The issue is two fold. The first devices which don’t support 4g, and the second is the loss of coverage with the decommissioning of 3G. That’s what my last comment focussed on.
The article points out that consumer phones aren’t an issue. Its things like lifts with a 3g fallback for emergencies, with non4g capabikitybthat is the issue.
That’s the issue. They havnt planned for anything except consumer devices. Android is now recommending 2g be disabled for security, also, so less devices will try to connect to older network infrastructure over time.
I dont see how the telco vsnt see what devices are connecting and where, given their Sims are linked tons customer when they ping a tower. Surely they can identify the devices if they wanted. It might be there are just too many.
@hitmyspot @Baku
I have a 4G phone. #Optus has been telling me for months it will no longer work when they switch 3G off.
They won’t tell me why though.
it aint LTE
@Taleya
How isn’t it?
Ask your manufacturer.
Basically: if your phone is “4g” but you get told it’s gonna get cut off when they tank the 3g network, then that most likely means the phone doesn’t support Voice Over Long Term Evolution (volte) … it uses 3g for calls.
@Taleya
The Apple Store told me the telcos would be unlikely to upgrade 4g and would probably redeploy the 3G resources to 5G.
My phone does support VoLTE but the Optus infrastructure is crap. It used to drop to 3G calls but no longer. Now it just drops out completely.
I guess it doesn’t matter now because the telcos have realised half of rural Australia would be left with no service and that would be very bad.
I wouldn’t listen to an apple store as to what telcos are doing.
3G hasn’t closed down yet so your phone should still drop to 3G
@Taleya yeah it should. I have no idea why it stopped.
@Taleya do you mean like for people in the country where all the calls drop to 3G, and in the city dead zones?
Different thing. That’s shitty infrastructure
@Taleya Yeah, that’s what I’ve learned. Shitty infrastructure and no intention to improve it.
No VoLTE, probably. A bunch of early 4G phones drop back to 3G to make voice calls.
Consumer phones in regional areas are still an issue. As @baku said, 3G has better range than 4G (which has better range than 5G). If someone in the middle of the bush, or on a country road needs to use their 5G phone, they may not have coverage.
I have a friend that had to drive 10km with a cracked skull, ribs and broken arm and leg because he didn’t have coverage on his farm. He now has 3G coverage, but not 4G.
The issue is two fold. The first devices which don’t support 4g, and the second is the loss of coverage with the decommissioning of 3G. That’s what my last comment focussed on.