An article written by QFF Corporate Partner Telstra
A lot has happened since our October 2019 announcement to close our 3G network in June 2024.
As part of our announcement, we committed to expanding our 4G coverage so that it will be equivalent to our 3G coverage provided today, by the time 3G closure occurs. As we continue to complete planned upgrades to increase our 4G footprint you may notice some changes to the signal bars on your phone. It is important however to note that fewer bars does not mean you are receiving a lesser service.
Signal bars differ between technologies and mobile devices, therefore they are not always a good indicator of coverage and performance. Almost every device is different when it comes to this as there are currently no standards uniformly shared across all manufacturers. Comparing bar readings between different devices could be like comparing apples to oranges.
Similarly, when it comes to different technologies there is no direct correlation between bars and user experience on one technology compared to another. As you can see in the picture above, where we’ve measured the same device in the same location – the only difference being whether it was on our 3G or 4G network. The left results show 3G receiving higher bars, but a far lesser overall experience in both download and upload speeds compared to the 4G service on the right.
Because 4G is a newer, more efficient technology it is essentially meaningless to compare signal bars between what it delivers and what 3G delivers.
Coverage Equivalence between 3G and 4G by 30 June 2024
While 3G has been important in delivering our current mobile coverage to 99.6 per cent of the population and 2.6 million km2 of Australia, our rollout of the more advanced 4G technology is rapidly approaching this coverage, reaching 99.4 per cent of the population today and an area of over 2 million km2 of the country. We’re continuing to grow our 4G coverage and will be providing equivalent 4G coverage before the closure of our 3G network in June 2024.
Read more about Telstra’s 3G closure here https://www.telstra.com.au/support/mobiles-devices/3g-closure