2degrees completed its shutdown last week. One NZ, which is in the midst of its shutdown, will end 3G service in Canterbury, the West Coast, Tasman and Marlborough today (see its full schedule below).

What’s the hurry?

“When I’m overseas, I’m still seeing 3G being normal with roaming, so it’s quite incredible to see that we’re shutting down our network so quickly,” Simms said.

It will be cheaper for all the telcos to switch to 4G and 5G only. Pricey radio spectrum will be freed up.

Networks will also be more efficient. One NZ said it will see a 10% reduction in its power bill because more modern 4G and 5G infrastructure is more power-efficient.

None of the telcos are offering to pay for new hardware or phones, although all are running specials on the cheapest 4G handsets.

Spark referred queries to the Telecommunications Carriers Forum (TCF), an industry body whose members also include One NZ and 2degrees.

“3G is now an older technology nearing the end of its lifecycle and all around the world, telcos are switching off 3G to repurpose the radio spectrum for faster and more modern networks such as 4G and 5G,” TCF chief executive Paul Brislen said.

“The telco sector in New Zealand has been communicating with our partners about these plans since 2023 and customers with embedded systems, such as the alarm system mentioned, have been aware of the change for quite some time,” Brislen said.

“The response to our awareness-raising campaign has been particularly positive, with the Commerce Commission saying more than 80% of the public know about the switch-off and are acting accordingly.

“By the end of April, all three operators will have turned off their 3G networks in New Zealand, joining Australia, Vietnam and dozens of other countries around the world.”

Simms said he didn’t blame his alarm company. The New Zealand Security Association had a drive for its members to give customers an early heads-up about the need to upgrade to 4G- or 5G-compatible alarms – especially if their system was bought before 2018.

Cellular has become more popular for alarm systems in recent years as the primary means of communication with a security company or as a back-up if a line is cut, in part because copper lines have been decommissioned in many urban areas (with older alarms not compatible with fibre).

Simms – who founded Wi-Fi firm Tomizone before switching gears to running a neighbourhood bar – says he might attach a cheap Android phone to give his alarm 4G capability, but that such workarounds aren’t always available to the average punter.

Broad range of devices affected

In its campaigns, the TCF has also warned people that they should check with a retailer or manufacturer if they have a security or health alarm, navigation system or any other gadget that relies on cellular connection.

Older Kindles will also be affected. Truck-tracking system maker Eroad recently reported free cashflow of $6.2 million for the first half of its financial year – which it said would have been $16m without the cost of subsidising customers’ 4G upgrades. The firm said around 10% of its customers had yet to upgrade, most of them smaller clients.

One point of confusion has been that some phones sold as 4G – particularly by parallel importers – don’t support the VoLTE standard used by Spark, One NZ and 2degrees for 4G and 5G calling.

Customers on any network can text 3G to 550 to see if their phone is ready for the shutdown.

Last week, Spark said fewer than 2% of devices on its network still relied on 3G – implying up to 50,000 devices could be affected by its shutdown.

One NZ said fewer than 3% of devices on its network still relied on 3G.

The telcos say the cheapest 4G-compatible phones start at $59.

The three mobile players say 4G or 5G has been installed in every rural and urban area where 3G service is being withdrawn.

One NZ’s shutdown schedule from here

Resources

Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer.