Australia's second largest telco Optus will be shutting down its 2G GSM network from the first of April 2017 in response to subscribers moving on to 4G data and increasingly using latest smartphones that are 3G and 4G enabled.
Singtel, Optus' parent company and two other Operators in Singapore have also announced recently the closing down of their 2G networks in 2017. With the closure of the 2G network, Optus' customers will have to upgrade to newer 3G or 4G devices and plans. Virgin Mobile and Optus Wholesale service providers using Optus' 2G GSM network, including amaysim, will also be affected by the closure.
According to Optus, the move will enable the Operator to re-allocate some of the 2G spectrum to improve customer experience and mobile services. Optus added that with greater smartphone usage and advances in 4G technology, customers have moved away from 2G with only a small fraction of users left on the network.
Dennis Wong, Acting Managing Director, Optus Networks
Our priority is to prepare our customers for this change and ensure they have sufficient time to upgrade to newer devices. Optus will provide affected customers with more details about options available to them closer to the closure of our 2G network in April 2017. For some customers this might be a simple SIM upgrade.
