Telstra has a number you can text to see if your phone will work after the 3G shutdown

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 10 April 2024

Telstra customers can now check if their device will continue to function after it shuts down its 3G network via a new text line. Customers can text "3" to 3498, which will instantly send a response about the device status.

Customers will be told if their device is compatible, or alternatively, of the next steps this will take. The checker will warn customers if their device is 3G-only, 4G but unable to make calls over VoLTE, or 4G but relies on 3G to make Triple Zero emergency calls.

Telstra Executive for Network Technology Development and Solutions, Channa Seneviratne, said the telco has already reached out to customers that will be impacted, but developed the tool as a complimentary measure.

"Since we announced the closure of our 3G network almost five years ago, we have seen a significant decline in 3G usage across our national network," said Seneviratne.

"In fact, 3G accounts for just 1% of our total network traffic, however we want to make sure everyone is prepared and has an easy way to check the compatibility of their device."

Customers on Telstra-powered providers such as Boost, Belong, ALDI Mobile, and Tangerine, are also able to check their device compatibility by texting 3498.

The launch of Telstra's text line follows revelations that a large number of devices won't be able to call Triple Zero after 4G is shut down. In some cases this is because they don't support emergency calling over VoLTE, and in others this is because they are grey imports. In addition, there are a number of 4G-capable phones that won't be able to make calls at all following the 3G shutdown.

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Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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