The End of 3G & What It Means For Your Loggers

Disconnecting the 3G Network

As you may already know, the telecommunications companies have started shutting down the 3G network to make way for the new 5G network. This will impact some of the SUMS older generation hardware that was built before 4G existed. These loggers will need to be replaced and upgraded in order to support 5G utility monitoring. Although there is still time before the end of 3G, it is a good time to start planning the migration. 

• Telstra has announced to decommission their all of the 3G network by 2024, already having switched off their higher speed 3G connectivity.
• Vodafone will be still phasing out 3G connectivity on their higher speed spectrum over the course of 2020, afterwards they will continue to operate 3G services only on their lower speed spectrum. 
• Optus has yet to provide any timeline for when they intend to shut their 3G network. Unlike Telstra and Vodafone, Optus isn’t currently phasing out any of its 3G network frequencies.

To see whether you are already affected by the change please take a look at this interactive map Telstra has provided.

5G Utility Monitoring

The 5G network will see greatly improved internet speeds and access across Australia. Loggers that are located in rural towns, or areas with low connection (including in large concrete buildings) will have less strain on their power usage, resulting in greater battery life.

The increased network access also means greater reliability for the loggers to upload data, ensuring your data is always available to you wherever you are.

Upgrading Your Loggers Before the End of 3G

In light of this, SUMS would like to offer a proposal to upgrade your data loggers to meet the requirements of the new network services. With this, we will provide you with brand new robust and weatherproof hardware with much longer battery life of 5-6 years.

All upgrades will also be provided free access to our newly launched Learning Labs, an online training platform to promote best practice of the SUMS portal.

For more information on this limited promotion, please reach out to us at info@sums.com.au.