Telstra has announced it will shutter its older 3G network technology tomorrow, 31 August, bringing its 3GIS network to an imminent demise.
"Tomorrow at 10am Telstra will commence the carefully planned closure of services on our earlier 3G network operating on the 2100MHz band—known as 3GIS—which has been superseded by the more advanced Telstra Next G Network which offers both 3G and 4G technology,” Telstra networks executive director, Mike Wright said in a statement.
"Our team has been preparing for this change for two years and nothing has been left to chance, Wright said. “Customers have been individually contacted to remind them of the network changes.”
Customers with devices built for the old network can still access 2G service, Wright said.
“Customers who surf the Internet and who don’t have a Next G compatible mobile phone or modem will likely experience slower data speeds if they continue to use a device that operates its 3G functions only on the 2100MHz band—rather than the 850MHz band used across the Next G network,” he said. “We’re encouraging these customers to upgrade to a Next G compatible device.”
Carriers around the world are turning off older networks as they re-farm spectrum for faster 4G services. Some industry analysts expect older 2G networks to be shut down before the end of the decade. Telstra and other Australian telcos have said they will keep 2G for the time being, however Telstra said there would be a “smooth transition” should it choose to do.
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