3G shutdown delay good news: health alliance

A RURAL health advocacy organisation has welcomed news that the planned shutdown of major telecommunications carriers’ 3G networks has been delayed until October.

National Rural Health Alliance CEO Susi Tegen said the delay, announced earlier this month, was “an acknowledgement that the voice of the seven million people in rural, regional and remote Australia has been listened to, allowing more preparation and support where needed, in time for the changeover.”

Ms Tegen said the alliance was pleased the Federal Government and the industry heard calls for the delay, which included submissions to the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee inquiry into the issue.

But Ms Tegen said the matter does not end there.

“While we welcome the decision to delay the shutdown, we urge the telecommunications industry to use this extra time to work with the Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland to ensure that those without coverage are supported financially as well as from a digital literacy perspective,” she said.

“We have highlighted on many occasions that the impact of the 3G network shutdown is amplified for people living in rural, regional and remote areas due to the limited availability of healthcare services and the heavy reliance on 3G-enabled medical and other devices.

“Many would risk losing access to triple-zero due to the use of older mobile phones that only support 3G networks.

“We appreciate the government and industries working on these concerns and we are committed to watching closely how the situation unfolds in the upcoming months.”

Telstra originally planned to switch off its 3G network at the end of June, then delayed the move until the end of August, which was when Optus was also set to close its network.

But given the level of concern, both have now agreed to push the date out to 28 October.

They will use the extra time to run a large-scale information and education campaign about the shutdown.