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The inquiry’s chairman, Nationals senator Matt Canavan, has written to Telstra and Optus asking them to voluntarily delay the 3G network shutdown. But the two telcos said in statements to the newspaper they would stick to their original shutdown schedule.
Telstra and Optus have been giving away phones and store credit vouchers to help vulnerable people upgrade.
“Optus understands the public interest in ensuring a smooth transition to the 3G switch-off and mitigates risks to public safety,” the telco’s vice-president Andrew Sheridan said in a statement.
“The vast majority of our customers have already taken action, and we are continuing to communicate with the remaining customers who need to take action.
“All our customers will benefit from the 3G switch-off as it will allow Optus to repurpose spectrum so we can offer an even better 4G service and provide extensive 5G coverage across the region, giving customers a better network experience.”
A Telstra spokesman said the company had set the switch-off date for its 3G network nearly five years ago and had been communicating with customers and stakeholders to prepare for it.
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“The vast majority of our customers have taken the necessary steps to update their devices, and we are grateful for that. This is reflected in the fact that our 3G network only accounts for 1% of our total mobile network traffic,” he said.
“We acknowledge the issues raised in the survey, which are the focus of our comprehensive customer and community outreach programs.”
Opposition communications spokesman David Coleman said the government had “been a feeble and incompetent spectator to the shutdown for too long”.
“This was a shutdown decision announced five years ago. We are in trouble now only because the government failed to respond quickly to warnings and then act quickly,” he said.
“We now face a desperate scramble with Telstra set to shut down its services in less than a month, with Optus not far behind. I am calling on the Minister to end the uncertainty for consumers and the telecommunications industry, announce her 3G switch-off plans and explain how the Government will resolve this dilemma.”
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland would not say whether she would use her ministerial powers to order a delay to the 3G switchoff.
“Earlier this year, when the potential scale of these issues was first identified, I established a working group with industry and my department. Since then, industry and my department have met regularly, often daily, to work to address the adverse impacts on consumers resulting from the switch,” she said.
“Mobile users on any network can text ‘3’ to ‘3498’ and receive an immediate reply informing them whether their phone will be affected by the 3G switch.
“We strongly encourage all Australians to check their devices via SMS text messaging, respond to messages from their mobile providers and take action.”
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