Telstra will switch off 2G network by end of 2016

Telstra today announced their plans to shut down their 2G (GSM) network by the end of 2016. The announcement was made via a blog post from Mike Wright, Telstra's Group Managing Director of Networks. In the post, Wright said that "2G traffic accounts for less than 1 per cent of our total network traffic", and that Telstra have "not sold a 2G phone for several years".

By Alex Choros

Telstra today announced their plans to shut down their 2G (GSM) network by the end of 2016. The announcement was made via a blog post from Mike Wright, Telstra's Group Managing Director of Networks. In the post, Wright said that "2G traffic accounts for less than 1 per cent of our total network traffic", and that Telstra have "not sold a 2G phone for several years".

Telstra aim to help customers still using the 2G network to transition over the next two and a half years. For some, this may be as simple as switching to a 3G SIM card, whereas others will require new handsets. Customers still on the 2G network will see a 2G, GPRS, E or EDGE icon on the top of their device's screen.

Telstra's 2G network has operated for over 20 years.

Source: Telstra