Will the 3G shutdown affect your logistics business?
By now, you’ve probably heard along the grapevine that the three telcos are shutting down 3G service to their network, with Vodafone already jumping the line and getting a headstart last year in December. This shutdown is not only affecting your industry, but nationwide, businesses and residents will need to upgrade their telecommunications and other devices that currently use the 3G network to 4G or 5G.
In this blog, we will be running you through the reason why you need to pick up speed (pun intended) when it comes to switching your network, how to know if you are required to upgrade your systems and devices, and the benefits of being on 4G or 5G for your business.
Overall summary of the 3G shutdown
Suppose you haven’t noticed a difference with your devices and they all seem to be working as usual. In that case, you’re either already connected to 4G, or likely connected to Telstra or Optus’ 3G network rather than Vodafone. If that is the case then you do have some time to switch your devices to 4G or 5G. The shutdown for these networks will occur on the 30th of June for all other networks that aren’t Telstra. Telstra has recently given a delay in this shutdown, and the new deadline is August 31st, however, we recommend quickly switching these out as some new 4G compatible devices may need to be purchased and you want to give yourself enough time to acquire the new equipment before the shutdown.
Those who will be affected by the 3G shutdown are those who are using:
Mobile phones which only connect to 3G
IoT (Even new sensors, trackers etc still operate on 2G/3G networks given their low bandwidth requirements)
Network extension devices
Some EFTPOS machines
Antennas that operate on the 3G network
If the above has not been updated to 4G or 5G compatible devices, your current devices will be inoperable.
Why the shutdown?
The three Telcos: Telstra, Vodafone and Optus decided they were shutting down their 3G network to redeploy their spectrums as 4G or 5G which will assist them in strengthening coverage. Each network is competing with each other in having the best product, and in this case, their networks are competing in speed and efficiency; 3G is less superior than 4G or 5G. By phasing 3G out they can reallocate that band towards faster networks.
The benefits of switching to 4G or 5G devices
Aside from ensuring your devices don’t skip a beat and remain in operation, these are some key benefits of being on a 4G or 5G network:
Improved speeds
Lower Latency
Enhanced connectivity, resulting in a more reliable service
Greater resilience to outages
Will this affect your business?
If you’re operating currently on a 3G network, then the answer is yes. If you’re unsure here are a couple of tell-tale signs it’s time to make the switch:
If your device is older than ten years then it may not support Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) which is necessary to make calls on the 4G network
If the screen of your devices shows you’re connected to a network check if it says 3G, if so this will need to be upgraded. 4G and 5G compatible devices will automatically show 4G even if they are also 3G compatible
You have a “4G-ready” device that was purchased outside of Australia. In this case, it may be affected as the spectrum bands aren’t compatible with Australian networks
What are the next steps? Once you’ve identified what 3G-compatible devices and hardware will be affected, you should contact your hardware providers to order an upgrade. Do this sooner rather than later, as we believe the closer the shutdown date is, the less stock will be readily available.
If you’re not sure and would like to know how this will personally affect your business, feel free to book a call and organise a business-wide audit. One of our highly knowledgeable Single Source team members will be able to look through your devices and let you know which needs to be upgraded or switched over.