'Horrific': Connectivity issues remain for some regions after 3G shutdown

But for some residents, particularly in regional and remote Australia, it's been one big headache.

Telstra and Optus switched off their 3G networks on October 28, 2024. Vodafone shut down its network in January 2024.

Jackie Stibbard, from Bundara in the Northern Tablelands, told ACM the first few weeks were "horrific".

"You couldn't get internet or mobile service very far out of town," she said.

She owned a small business and the EFTPOS machine kept dropping out.

At her home, she had no phone or internet, neither on her cattle property outside town.

"My husband had to go up the paddock where there is a big rock and you get service," she said.

While Telstra eventually fixed the issues at her business and home, the cattle property is still without connectivity.

"If something happened it could be the difference between life or death," she said.

Australian Communications Consumer Action Network chief executive officer, Carol Bennett said regional Australians were reporting real concerns about the 3G shutdown.

"While some have reported coverage improvements in their locality, we have heard seriously concerning reports that some consumers have been left in the lurch," she said.

Before the shutdown, Telstra had committed to providing 'equivalent coverage' via 4G.

Ms Bennett said it was now incumbent on Telstra to follow up and improve services in areas without coverage.

"Affected consumers face a financial hit and significant uncertainty with the loss of communications redundancy," she said.

Rebecca McFarlane from New England Family Support Service said some people were resorting to expensive satellite solutions.

"This is disappointing, especially in the midst of a cost of living crisis," she said. "It creates a serious affordability problem that will disadvantage vulnerable consumers."

A Telstra spokesperson said switching off the 3G network was "something we needed to do" to provide regional Australians with the latest technology.

The spokesperson confirmed Telstra upgraded more than 12,000 mobile sites to 4G in the five years leading up to the shutdown.

"We've been working one-on-one with customers since the switch off to troubleshoot any issues that appear, and in most cases, these can be fixed with the right device or configuration - they're not coverage related," the spokesperson said.

"We've seen a significant drop in enquiries over the past few weeks, but we want to hear from any customers who are having issues."

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland told the ABC on January 15 people were "rightfully frustrated,".

But Ms Rowland said the decision to switch off the 3G network was a "commercial decision that was made by the carriers, commenced under the previous government".

"It's now up to the carriers to ensure that they live up to those commitments that they made in terms of coverage equivalence," she said.

But the minister said she would continue to monitor the situation and consider "regulatory intervention" if necessary.