Optus has confirmed it will turn off part of its 3G network in April next year, and reallocate the spectrum used to improve both its 4G and 5G networks.
"In the last 12 months we have really seen our customers embrace 5G technology with take up of 5G enabled devices growing significantly. It’s important that our spectrum assets are working well for customers, enabling them to truly benefit from innovative and emerging technologies on our world class networks as they move to new and more advanced 4G and 5G devices," said Optus Managing Director Networks, Lambo Kanagaratnam.
"We know that our customers are using more data than ever. They’re downloading, sharing and streaming content, using apps and connecting with friends and colleagues virtually. In order to support this thirst for connectivity it’s vital that we evolve our network."
Optus currently offers 3G connectivity on both the 900MHz and 2100MHz spectrum. At this stage, it only has plans to refarm the 2100MHz spectrum into 4G and 5G. A Optus spokesperson told us the telco has no timeline for when it will cease to offer 3G on the 900MHz spectrum at this stage.
This means Optus customers relying on 3G will still be able to access the older network for the foreseeable future. However, there are some older 3G devices that only support the 2100MHz 3G spectrum. The original iPad and the Nokia N95-2, for example. If you have one of these devices, you will no longer get cellular connectivity on it after Optus switches off 2100MHz in April next year.
Optus says it will start contacting customers who will be impacted by these changes in the coming months.
Customers on Optus-powered MVNOs such as amaysim, Circles.Life, and Moose Mobile will also be affected by this change.
Telstra and Vodafone both already shutdown 3G connectivity on the 2100MHz spectrum back in 2019. Telstra has confirmed it will shut down its remaining 3G services in June 2024, while Vodafone has no confirmed timeline for killing off 3G entirely.
Alex Choros
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