NFF Reports Farmers Await Starlink as 3G Network Shutdown Impacts Service Quality
Farmer associations have stated that the recent shutdown of the 3G network had a significant impact on farmers’ operations, resulting in both time and financial losses.
During a parliamentary committee hearing, it was revealed that some farmers had experienced a decrease of up to 70 percent in mobile service reliability after the shutdown, despite assurances from major telcos that the transition would not affect their services.
Charles Thomas, the acting CEO of the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF), highlighted the decline in mobile and internet services in rural areas over the past few months during the inquiry. He mentioned that farmers were facing issues like dropped calls, slow download speeds, and complete inability to access the internet.
The shutdown also led to the loss of “fortuitous coverage,” which are areas where people could access services even if they were not in the original coverage map of a telco.
Sean Cole, the advocacy and rural affairs manager at GrainGrowers, noted that about 90 percent of their members were impacted by the shutdown, reporting reduced coverage or complete blackouts.
Australia’s 3G Shutdown
The 3G network in Australia was phased out by major telcos starting in late 2023 to improve the speed and reliability of their 4G and 5G networks.
Following the shutdown of the 3G network, many farmers turned to Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, as an alternative. However, there were challenges with access to Starlink services in certain regions.
Impacts on Farmers’ Operations
Sean highlighted that the shutdown had increased inefficiency in farming activities dependent on mobile coverage, impacting commerce and operations. Many farmers had to invest in expensive solutions like mobile signal boosters and equipment upgrades to cope with the shutdown.
Harvey Wright from Optus shared that the telco had provided support to customers during the transition away from 3G, offering free handsets and discounts on devices. He mentioned that most complaints received were not related to the network, indicating that the coverage issues faced by some farmers might have other causes.
Justine Rowe from Telstra confirmed that they had set up a helpline to assist customers through the transition and received a small percentage of complaints related to the 3G exit.
Optus Defends Transition
Wright defended Optus’s transition process, stating that they had prioritized customer needs and provided various support options to ease the switch to 4G and 5G networks.
He emphasized that Optus had made extensive efforts to ensure a smooth transition and that most complaints were not directly related to the network coverage post-shutdown.
