Optus gives away 20,000 phones to vulnerable customers ahead of Australia’s 3G shutdown

Optus is to hand out 20,000 mobile phones to vulnerable customers in preparation for a major change that will affect thousands of devices across the country.

Telecom giants are preparing to end support for Australia’s 3G network, which has been available since the early 2000s.

This means that compatible 3G mobile devices will soon no longer be able to send text messages, make calls or even contact triple-0 in an emergency. Some older 4G handsets will also no longer be supported.

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Telstra is pulling the plug on 3G on August 31 and Optus on September 1, while TPG Telecom/Vodafone has already turned it off.

Australian mobile network operators say the move will increase the capacity, speed and reliability of the newer 4G and 5G networks.