Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has warned that almost 400,000 3G devices are still at risk of not being able to call triple zero emergency services when Telstra and Optus shut down their 3G networks on September 1.
This headline first reported concerns that hundreds of thousands of devices across Australia will soon be unable to contact triple zero, as many older smartphones are 4G-enabled but default to the 3G network for triple zero calls. 3G networks are being shut down to free up mobile spectrum for 4G and 5G networks.
Rowland told ABC Gippsland on Tuesday that the number of affected devices had dropped from 740,000 to 370,000 thanks to the efforts of a telecoms taskforce.
“We're very concerned about this. When this came to light in March of this year, I quickly set about setting up an industry task force so we could get the message out to people. These are users who primarily don't they will switch their phone as much as others and they probably rely on an existing device,” Rowland said in the radio interview.
“We still have more to do as the Telstra and Optus shutdowns are only a few months away – from September 1st both Telstra and Optus will switch. I would like to make a public service announcement to your listeners to find out if your device is affected If you are a Telstra or Optus customer you can just text the number “3” to the following number “3498” or you can go to the website www.3gclosure.com.au and check it too. “
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Shadow Communications Minister David Coleman said the 370,000 figure was a “shocking indictment of this minister”.
“People warned the minister a year ago that this would be a problem with some 4G phones and yet she claims she only found out about the problem in March this year,” he said.
“Senate Estimates heard in recent days that an IT and networking expert had written to the minister about the problem with some 4G phones in June last year, but it was sent to the department.
“Now, with the 3G network clock counting down to zero in the coming months, the minister is desperately trying to catch up, with hundreds of thousands of devices still at risk. The minister spoke again today of the “option to use their powers to delay the shutdown. But we wouldn't be in this situation if the government had been actively dealing with it a year ago when they were warned.”
