SYDNEY: Australians relying on Optus’ old 2G mobile network have less than 20 months to buy a new handset and SIM card if they want to stay with the telco.
The company announced on Wednesday it would shut down its 22-year-old 2G GSM network on April 1, 2017 – just over 600 days from now.
It follows Telstra texting 2G customers in July that it too would be closing down its 2G network, on December 1, 2016 – about four months before Optus shuts down its 2G network.
Dennis Wong, acting managing director of Optus Networks, said greater smartphone usage and advances in 4G technology were driving customer preferences for more mobile data and faster speeds. Because of this he said there had been a steady decline in 2G traffic in recent years.
“2G now constitutes a fraction of our total mobile network traffic and is declining significantly year on year,” he said.
“Mobile service providers globally, including in Australia and our parent company Singtel in Singapore, are closing down 2G networks to support newer technologies.”
When Optus closes the 2G GSM network in April 2017, to continue to enjoy the Optus mobile network, 2G customers will need to upgrade to newer 3G or 4G devices and plans.
Virgin Mobile and Optus wholesale service providers using the 2G GSM network, including amaysim, will also be affected.
“Our priority is to prepare our customers for this change and ensure they have sufficient time to upgrade to newer devices,” Mr Wong said.
“Optus will provide affected customers with more details about options available to them closer to the closure of our 2G network in April 2017. For some customers this might be a simple SIM upgrade.”
Customers can easily check if their device uses the 2G network by looking for a 2G, GPRS, EDGE or E icon at the top of their mobile screen, Optus said.
The company’s 2G GSM network was launched in 1993, providing basic voice and text messaging services. Switching off the network will open up options to re-allocate some of the radiofrequency spectrum used by it to improve customer experience and mobile services on newer mobile networks, Optus said.
