Aussie telcos will be switching off their 2G networks this year

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Alas, it was not meant 2G

The three big Australian telcos announced last year that they will begin switching off their 2G networks, with Telstra being the first one to do so in December 2016.

It’s now the turn of Optus, and the company will begin the process on 3 April with Northern Territory and Western Australia losing 2G connectivity first. The other states – New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and ACT – will suffer the same fate on 1 August 2017.

Similarly, Vodafone will be decommissioning its 2G service on 30 September this year.

Once this happens, customers on the old network will lose mobile service and will need to either migrate to a new 3G or 4G plan or upgrade their handset.

Upgrade now

The Optus 2G shutdown will also affect Virgin Mobile and Amaysim customers using 2G or 3G Single Band devices, as these resellers piggyback on Optus' network.

If you happen to be one of these customers, you’ll need to get a 3G Dual Band or 4G-enabled handset.

If you aren’t sure what your phone supports, check to see if you can spot a 2G, GPRS, EDGE or E icon at the top right hand corner of your mobile’s display. This means you’ll soon lose service. On the other hand, if you see a 3G, H+, 4G or LTE on your phone's screen, it’s 3G/4G-compatible.

In case you do need a new handset, the telco of your choice will be able to help you choose a device if you already haven’t decided on one.

So long, old friend

Sadly, the 2G shutdown is also why Australians won’t be able to relive the nostalgia of the good ol’ Nokia 3310 days with the brand-new 2017 version of the handset. 

But please don’t throw your old 2G mobile into the bin: e-waste is a huge problem facing the world today. Instead, find your local MobileMuster recycle drop-off point (which includes phone retailers as well) or mail it to MobileMuster directly. Australia Post has free post-back recycling satchels just for this.

If you need more information on how the decommissioning of the 2G network will affect you, head to Optus’ website where you’ll find details and FAQs to help you through the transition.

Vodafone customers will also receive all the help they need, as promised by Kevin Millroy, acting Chief Technology Officer at Vodafone Australia.

Sharmishta Sarkar
Sharmishta Sarkar
Managing Editor (APAC)

While she's happiest with a camera in her hand, Sharmishta's main priority is being TechRadar's APAC Managing Editor, looking after the day-to-day functioning of the Australian, New Zealand and Singapore editions of the site, steering everything from news and reviews to ecommerce content like deals and coupon codes. While she loves reviewing cameras and lenses when she can, she's also an avid reader and has become quite the expert on ereaders and E Ink writing tablets, having appeared on Singaporean radio to talk about these underrated devices. Other than her duties at TechRadar, she's also the Managing Editor of the Australian edition of Digital Camera World, and writes for Tom's Guide and T3.