Thousands of Australians may face loss of vital services as 3G network is phased out, with 150,000 at risk.

In the coming months, there is a possibility that up to 150,000 Australians may lose access to vital services such as triple zero, online banking, and telehealth on the Optus network. This news was brought to light when executives from Optus, Telstra, and TPG appeared before a Senate inquiry this morning to discuss the imminent shutdown of 3G signals.

Although the number of people still using 3G handsets has decreased significantly from nearly 750,000 in March, the telcos acknowledged that there will likely be some individuals who will be impacted by the shutdown. Optus, the second-largest mobile provider in Australia, stated that up to 150,000 customers could potentially lose access to critical functions after the shutdown in September.

Harvey Wright, the head of new products at Optus, explained to the committee that the process of transitioning customers from 3G to newer networks involves two key steps. Firstly, creating awareness and removing barriers for customers to take action, and secondly, preparing for the fact that some may not take action. "It's just human nature," he noted.

He went on to say that they are continuously working to reduce the number of customers affected, but they estimate that it could be between 100,000 to 150,000. Telstra, on the other hand, did not provide a specific estimate of the number of customers that will be impacted when their 3G network shuts down next month.

Justine Rowe, an executive at Telstra, acknowledged that there will be some customers who will not take action to upgrade their devices. "We're hoping that we'll get more and more down. We don't have an estimate of the actual numbers that will be left on our network at the moment because we are planning to get that to as close to zero as possible. But we know it won't be zero, so there will be customers that choose not to take action," she said.

Both Telstra and Optus have been urging their customers to check if their phones and other devices will continue to function after the shutdown. They have also provided free handsets to customers who may be facing financial hardship or other vulnerable circumstances. For those uncertain about the compatibility of their devices, they can text "3" to 3498 to check.

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