Optus has today announced their finalised plans for the shutdown of their now 25 year old 2G network, with the final stages of the shutdown to be complete by August 1st.
Optus began shutting down the 2G network back in April, shutting down sites in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Today Optus has advised that the second phase is beginning with services across QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, SA and TAS to be turned off by August 1st.
The shutdown of the Optus 2G network will affect Optus, as well as Virgin Mobile and Optus wholesale service providers who use the Optus network. This includes not only phones, but any embedded devices accessing the internet on ‘whispernet’ style connections. In the past, Point of Sale, GPS and even health devices have been affected by the shutdown of the 2G network so investigating what devices you have and what service they require to continue operating is recommended before the shutdown occurs.
Dennis Wong, Managing Director of Networks at Optus said they have been working to ensure their 2G customers have been prepared for the 2G cutoff and been ensuring customers have the ‘right level of support to allow for a smooth transition to our 3G and 4G services’.
Optus says that the closure will allow them to free up spectrum for a possible re-allocation to their other 3G/4G services and possibly in the future to 5G services.
If you have any older devices still in use that could access the Optus 2G network, check with Optus to see what needs to be done to maintain your connectivity.
