1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Now heads up, if you were running some old technology, 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: it might pay to double check that your phone or 3 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:08,560 Speaker 1: whatever else you're running could still work at the end 4 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: of the year when the three G networks get turned off, 5 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: because all major talcos are planning to turn off their 6 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: three G either at the end of the year or 7 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: possibly early next year. Australia did the same thing last 8 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 1: year and early this year and it did lean to 9 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:21,959 Speaker 1: a bit of a problem over there. Or Associate Professor 10 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,320 Speaker 1: of Engineering at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Mark 11 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: Gregory is with us. Hey Mark, Hello, how bad did 12 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: it get with you guys? 13 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:36,520 Speaker 2: Very bad? There were more problems than you could wish 14 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 2: for over here. 15 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: Okay, So some of the problems, from what I understand, 16 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 1: is that when the three G network was turned off, 17 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:46,239 Speaker 1: everybody thought there would be four G coverage or five 18 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:48,479 Speaker 1: G coverage. But that wasn't always the case, was it. 19 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,159 Speaker 2: No, Most certainly because the antenna systems were changed at 20 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 2: the same time. So we need to remember that signal propagation, 21 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 2: in other words, the direction and the distance the signal 22 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:05,279 Speaker 2: moves from the towers are affected by the transmission system, 23 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 2: the antennas and the way that they're tuned and during 24 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 2: the changeover, many of the towers actually changed their characteristics, 25 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 2: and so what happened was that in quite a few 26 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:24,680 Speaker 2: areas customers lost coverage. So we had pictures of farmers 27 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 2: standing in the middle of their farm where they used 28 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 2: to have coverage and now they've not got coverage, and 29 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 2: so they've got three G or now that' upgraded to 30 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 2: four G. Devices you know, including farming sensors, farm equipment, 31 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 2: and you know, their own devices and their vehicles and 32 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 2: no connectivity. And so we're still struggling with this problem today. 33 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 2: So the number of complaints has gone up quite significantly 34 00:01:54,920 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 2: in relation to telecommunications, and we need to keep that 35 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 2: in mind that there's no guarantee at the end of 36 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 2: the turnover that customers will have coverage. 37 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 1: Not always the I mean some of us. It sounds 38 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: like some of the devices cell phones, for example, can 39 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:15,239 Speaker 1: actually be switched. I mean they may say the four 40 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: G five G compatible, but they still need three G 41 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 1: to make the phone call. But it sounds like they 42 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: can be reprogrammed slightly to be able to do without 43 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: three G. 44 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, some devices. So what happened, of course, was 45 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,080 Speaker 2: that we had three G and there were three G 46 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,919 Speaker 2: devices being sold, and then they announced they were going 47 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 2: to start migrating the four G and so what happened, 48 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 2: of course, was a lot of companies rushed out what 49 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 2: they called or branded four G devices and four G phones, 50 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 2: and of course they weren't and so these devices were 51 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 2: really three G devices with four G on the cover, 52 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 2: and so they were using like a four G for data, 53 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 2: but they were still using three G for phone calls. Now, 54 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 2: that's all very good, but the most important thing, of 55 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 2: course is safety. And so what they found over here 56 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 2: after a bit of investigation and a bit of a 57 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 2: prompt in the media from myself, was that there are 58 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 2: a large number of devices that, even with them saying 59 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 2: that they were able to make four G phone calls, 60 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,239 Speaker 2: they weren't able to connect to the TRIPLEO emergency service 61 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 2: that we have in Australia. And so there was another 62 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 2: whole group of phones that were going to be a problem. 63 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 2: Because at the end of the day, the telecommunications network 64 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 2: should be all about safety. We need to be able 65 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 2: to call the emergency services. So there are different groups 66 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 2: of phones. There were three G phones, there were four 67 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 2: G phones without the voiceover LTE. There were four G 68 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:51,880 Speaker 2: phones that couldn't be used to make calls to triple 69 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 2: zero services, and there were devices that were not seven 70 00:03:55,560 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 2: hundred megaherts capable. Now, seven hundred megahertz band was used 71 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 2: in Australia for the digital for the analog television channels, 72 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 2: and so when the analog television was moved to digital, 73 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 2: that freed that band up for telephone for mobile. Yeah, 74 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 2: and that was called the digital dividend. Now, what happened, 75 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:19,680 Speaker 2: of course, was that there was a whole group of 76 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 2: phones at that time that were not seven hundred megaherts capable. 77 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:26,480 Speaker 2: So even though they claimed Black and Blue that are 78 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:30,160 Speaker 2: four G phones wouldn't work for seven hundred megahurts. Problem is, 79 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 2: so a large number of our sites, we still. 80 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 1: Have some of these phones available for sale in New 81 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:39,239 Speaker 1: Zealand that are basically going to rely the three G network. 82 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 1: How do you tell, I'll give you a consumer going 83 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: out there and wanting to buy a cheap phone, how 84 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 1: do you know it's still going to work? 85 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 2: Well, this is where this is where the confusion came in. 86 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 2: So this was really phase two of the problem here, right. 87 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 2: So you had a safety problem, you had a consumer problem, 88 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 2: you had farming problem, you had manufacturing problems, you had 89 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 2: health problems medical devices again, you know, you had all 90 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 2: the same problems with medical devices devices people have in 91 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:09,279 Speaker 2: their homes, the emergency call devices, and the sea path 92 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 2: machines that many males and you know many people use, 93 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 2: not just males, but but you know that many people 94 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 2: used today. And the list just goes on and on. 95 00:05:20,279 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 2: So what happened, of course, over here was that the 96 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 2: government had to step in and they announced that there 97 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 2: was going to be a delay between the two major networks, 98 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 2: Telstra and Optists being able to turn off their networks. 99 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 2: Votaphone got through by being the early mover and turned 100 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:40,159 Speaker 2: theirs off the year before, and with the smaller number 101 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 2: of customers on Votaphone and the fact that they don't 102 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 2: really at that time didn't really offer services and rural areas, 103 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 2: they escaped through the process. But Tellstre and Optus a 104 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 2: whole new kettle of fish. Governments that had to step 105 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 2: in announced that there was going to be a delay 106 00:05:56,640 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 2: before that the shutdown, the fact that it ended up 107 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:04,479 Speaker 2: being months or more. They had to have helplines, they 108 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:07,599 Speaker 2: had to do an advertising campaign, they had to start 109 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 2: talking about it in the media. And they really had 110 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 2: to get off their backsides because it was going to 111 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:15,159 Speaker 2: be a major disasters. 112 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: Well, you put in the frighteners up me. Mark, here's 113 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: hoping it doesn't happen here. Appreciate it. Mark Gregory, Associate 114 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: Professor of Engineering at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. 115 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 2: Game For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, Listen live 116 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 2: to news talks they'd be from four pm weekdays, or 117 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 2: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.