Australia announces it will turn off 3G networks

15 May 2024
Telstra and Optus will switch off their networks by September; Vodafone has already done it.

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sweggitity, 17 May 2024At least it is affordable for us, i paid 250 AUD for a 1 ye... moreTouché. Our prices and plan models are so f ked, I don't even know what is considered a good price for internet outside of Canada.

I mean, lately the internet prices seem much cheaper than before. For a long time, basic internet plans usually costed around $90-110/month. Now it's around $40-70/month for more than enough speeds.

But what you paid per year is still a much better value.

    Anonymous, 24 May 2024It's an old technology that is pretty much just gettin... more> "but aside from seniors"
    Yes, what about the seniors? That's a left-out demographic.

    > "that's your own issue"
    I think you're misunderstanding. Of course anyone with a functioning brain will know to upgrade their phone or plan to 4G/5G before support for 3G ends. I am more talking about niche uses for 3G. I remember those old Kindle devices have unlimited access to internet via 3G cellular. Well, I guess those Kindle devices have just lost access to internet.

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      • Anonymous
      • wrx
      • 24 May 2024

      NeonHD, 15 May 2024Of course...... It's always Australia that makes r... moreIt's an old technology that is pretty much just getting in the way of better 4G/5G stability and reliability. So they are shutting 3G off to improve 4G/5G. And really look how long 4G and VoLTE have been around for. Sorry but aside from seniors, if you have a phone that can't connect to technology that's been around for going on a decade in Australia that's your own issue.

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        • AK
        • Hq1
        • 17 May 2024

        NeonHD, 15 May 2024Of course...... It's always Australia that makes r... moreOh my, someone is jealous

          NeonHD, 15 May 2024Of course...... It's always Australia that makes r... moreAt least it is affordable for us, i paid 250 AUD for a 1 year subscription for unlimited calls/sms and 140GB internet to last 365 days. Look at Canada, how expensive it is.
          Electric stove is better for us, because most houses got solar, so we save money.

            Really sucks for dumbphone owners, modern 4G dumb phones kind of suck

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              • Anonymous
              • CbG
              • 16 May 2024

              Anonymous, 16 May 2024I'm still confused and can't get any clarity. I h... moreHii ,ATCA decide to shutdown only 3G network it means legacy network is not available and also LTE support device which is dependent on 2g/3g network for voice call is also not available.(Earlier in 4G service data provided by LTE but voice was depend on lagecy network such as 2g/3g. Don't worry about your device is support volte and one more thing n28 is 5g band.

                Anonymous, 16 May 2024I'm still confused and can't get any clarity. I h... moreI guess S10e is a fairly newer device to be affected by this move. If anything, the network operator will be at blame here for its incompetence.

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                  • Anonymous
                  • 7tv
                  • 16 May 2024

                  Anonymous, 16 May 2024I'm still confused and can't get any clarity. I h... moreYour good.
                  I have the s10e and can confirm it uses LTE band 28 700mhz.

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                    • Anonymous
                    • PxE
                    • 16 May 2024

                    Jan, 15 May 2024For people saying "4G will shut down": For 5G ... more"For 5G to be efficient you need a line of clear sight between the device and the transmitter, which will forever be a problem."

                    You're confusing 5G with mmWaves
                    5G mmWaves is the problem
                    5G with sub-7 band is the solution.

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                      • Anonymous
                      • Fw$
                      • 16 May 2024

                      They are blocking hand held IMEIs from connecting. There are millions of IoT devices like vehicle trackers and payment terminals still operating on 2.5G and 3G.

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                        • Anonymous
                        • KRW
                        • 16 May 2024

                        Im surprised to learn that Australia is a bit slow when it come to shut down their 3g network..

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                          • Anonymous
                          • Hq5
                          • 16 May 2024

                          I'm still confused and can't get any clarity. I have an s10e, this device supports VoLTE BUT Telstras website claims your devices needs to support Band 28, this model does not, I am unsure if this device will continue working or not

                            Anonymous, 16 May 2024They should still keep/maintain 2G(voice calls/sms/low/smal... moreWait till after some years some brand will introduce the 2g network as an emergency feature under another name.

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                              • Anonymous
                              • Iby
                              • 16 May 2024

                              Anonymous, 16 May 2024They should still keep/maintain 2G(voice calls/sms/low/smal... moreWrong. Penetration is determined by power level (which you got) and frequency. The lower the frequency (in hertz) the better the penetration. Same reason why 2.4G Wi-Fi goes through the wall better than 5G. I don't know where you are, but the lowest frequencies in the US are the 600MHz and 700MHz bands (band 71 and bands 12/13/14/17 respectively) which are only supported on LTE/NR, not any previous standards.

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                                • Anonymous
                                • uSV
                                • 16 May 2024

                                Rbx, 15 May 20245G is overhyped, average consumers don't need it at al... moreCities will be radiated with 5G towers every block just to ensure signal stability specially inside buildings.

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                                  • Anonymous
                                  • uSV
                                  • 16 May 2024

                                  They should still keep/maintain 2G(voice calls/sms/low/small data transfers)as it has the most wide area coverage on a single tower, low power requirement, can penetrate walls, etc. that these 4G/5G can ever dream of doing.

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                                    • Sam
                                    • EQp
                                    • 15 May 2024

                                    asili asilia picha, 15 May 2024I worry about battery life when 4G is full in use. Technology is so smart that when idle, both the operator and your phone is in power saving mode so not to worry

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                                      • Sam
                                      • EQp
                                      • 15 May 2024

                                      NeonHD, 15 May 2024Of course...... It's always Australia that makes r... moreIt's not cost cutting but they are actually reusing the spectrum for 4G and 5G to improve user experience

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                                        • yalim
                                        • mu4
                                        • 15 May 2024

                                        it is not a new thing and has been done in many operators worldwide.it is not feasible to sustain 2G,3G,4G and 5G at the same time. you have 2G for voice/SMS, 4G for consumer data and 5G for enterprise data. what is 3G for? Nothing. That's why 3G is obsolete. 3G bands can also be re-used in 5G more efficiently. as a consumer, you won't notice difference between 5G and 4G.

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