Optus and Telstra have announced they are delaying the shutdown of their 3G networks.
The 3G closure had been scheduled for the end of this month, but will now be delayed to the end of October due to concerns about public safety.
People with 3G-reliant devices now have until October 28 to move to 4G and 5G networks.
Optus and Telstra plan to use the extension as a final chance to raise public awareness of the impending closures.
Mobile phones operating on the 3G network after October 28 will be unable to contact 000 for help, and a host of regional medical devices will also be affected.
Fleets with 3G telematics hardware will lose connection to vehicle and driving data and be unable to track vehicle location or monitor speeding, risking compliance violations.
Telstra has urged its customers to check the compatibility of mobile phones by texting ‘3’ to 3498 and update Telstra Go Repeaters from 3G to 4G by following these instructions.
You can check that network connected equipment such as truck telematics is compatible with Telstra 4G by reviewing this fact sheet or contacting the supplier.
The closure of the 3G network was originally announced in 2019.