3G Network shutdown is a potential life-threatening disaster for Australians and an expensive overhaul for essential services. Today, I’m asking the Senate to establish an inquiry into the looming shutdown of the 3G mobile network. Vodafone has shut down its smaller 3G network. Telstra will shut down all of its 3G services on June 30th. Optus plans to do the same in September.
Many Australians are using 4G or 5G capable devices today, yet they aren’t safe from the shutdown either, as I’ll explain later. Many of those Australians will still use 3G at some point, while millions need 3G, in some cases as a matter of life and death. There is an estimate that there are 3 million 3G reliant devices in the country. 3 million!
These devices aren’t just phones and tablets. They include EFTPOS machines, cars, security cameras, farm infrastructure, power meters, water meters, survey equipment, and 200,000 medical alarms. So, if you bought a device to alert someone when Grandad has a fall at home and can’t get up, unlucky granddad – the network’s been shut down. This looming catastrophe isn’t just limited to 3G phones. Australians who own a 4G phone aren’t safe either.
The Government has announced 740,000 4G phones may be unable to call 000 in an emergency once the 3G network is shut down.
These 4G phones are configured to rely on 3G for emergency phone calls, despite using 4G for the rest of their services. There are certainly questions about when the government knew three quarters of a million 4G phones were going to be affected by the 3G shutdown.
This inquiry will allow us to get the answer to that question. We know that 4G simply does not cover the existing areas covered by 3G. 3G towers, transmit further on average, then 4 or 5G. As conversions to the new generation of tower are made, people who previously had some service, are now being cut off completely.
Take the experience of Stacy Storrier reported by Emily Middleton in The Guardian. Her farm received 3G service allowing them to call an ambulance in an emergency and operate automated farm equipment. Stacy has shelled out for expensive upgrades to all of her farm equipment, but Telstra won’t promise she will receive any reception even on 4G after the shutdown.
Despite the opposite being true, Telstra tells her their maps show there was never any 3G coverage to her farm, so they have no obligation to provide any 4G. Now Stacy’s upgraded farm equipment looks like it will be worthless, and she has genuine concerns about how they’ll call for help in a life-or-death situation. In February, there was the story of the 3G outage in the Arnhem Land communities of Maningrida and Wurruwi, reported by Laetitia Lemke for NITV.
4G services were restored quickly after floods, but 3G took three weeks to come back online. The 3G ‘Pay As You Go’ power meters stopped working properly and residents couldn’t see how much electricity they were using. Now they’ve been saddled with huge electricity bills that they can’t afford.
Surveyors also use 3G enabled devices mapping out our roads and cities. Surveyors Australia tells us that it will cost each surveyor $15,000 to replace their 3G enabled equipment. Some businesses will be up for a bill of $1 million. Thousands of businesses rely on 3G enabled EFTPOS machines. Many of them are small businesses and don’t even realize it.
Can the Telcos – Optus, Telstra, TPG – guarantee to Parliament that they’ve told every single one of these small businesses they will be affected? No.
These stories are repeated in industry after industry and home after home right across our country.
I hope the Senate votes to establish this inquiry that I’m moving, and we can keep the mobile network on for the people in the bush and the city that badly need it.
