Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson interview with Oliver Peterson.
Radio 6PR Perth
Subject: 3G switch-off warning for small, family and farming businesses
Oliver Peterson
If you’re using the 3G network, listen up because we know that Telstra is turning it off at the end of next month. Optus a day later on the 1st of September. Vodafone’s already turned it off, but it’s not just a simple about it affecting the mobile phone network.
There’s a bunch of other systems that may be using the 3G network, which particularly for small business owners and for farmers, they need to be aware of. Bruce Billson is the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, and he has addressed the Senate committee looking into this earlier today. He joins us live on 6PR. Bruce, good afternoon.
Bruce Billson
Oly, fab be with you and your listeners.
Oliver Peterson
It’s not just about mobile phones, is it, Bruce?
Bruce Billson
No, it is certainly not. We know there’s a couple of hundred thousand people still using a 3G mobile phone. So, let’s think about that as three and a half times that glorious Optus Stadium of yours full of phone users who are yet to make the change. Thankfully, Optus and Telstra are leaning in there with discounts with even some free phones. So, for people that are in that group or might be in a disadvantaged situation, not able to get a replacement phone, there’s some help there. Now that’s good. But that’s not the only thing that needs to be addressed.
There are so many devices that you might look at and think, that’s a pretty impressive piece of kit, not thinking that the communications link that supports it is actually relying on 3G.
It needs to be everything from a Total Station a surveyor uses, remote telemetry that a farmer uses to open gates, to make sure there’s water or to track the microclimate. Asset tracking, trucks, these sorts of things, even security systems and the like, have this 3G functionality operating in the background.
And you might think, what do we do about that? The telcos have got the billing information about who is actually paying for the use of 3G. We’re urging them to lean in and liaise and collaborate with the supplies of that equipment.
All the way through to things like vending machines Oly, when you go to pay for your Pepsi Max or, worryingly, a car park – you know those pads that you wave your card in front of. Some of the older versions of those things and even older version EFTPOS machines rely on 3G. Well, what’s going to happen? The farming operation, the family enterprise, will be like, wow, what’s happened to my kit? When it’s not so much the kit, it’s the communications relying on 3G that’s been shut down.
Oliver Peterson
Bruce, we’ve had this big conversation about the mobile network. And as you say, everybody’s aware of the phone lines having to switch if you haven’t already in some phones it may not work. But it has been missing in that conversation these systems you speak of, these day-to-day activities that a lot of businesses or farmers are using to operate their own livelihoods and their own business. Why hasn’t that message been coming out from the telcos?
Bruce Billson
Well, I think it’s less in your face. I think a lot of people, particularly your rural and regional listening audience Oly, still might use 3G because of the extra range that it has because it’s less data hungry so it reaches further, if I could use that as a poor analogy. And you can kind of see it when you pick up your kit, there’s a little symbol in the corner or on your mobile phone, and you’ve got that idea that, hey, maybe I’m affected by this.
But if you’re running a remote medical system or a security system or you’ve got an EFTPOS machine you’ve had for a long time, or you might go to the Bunbury Fair and sell miniature goats and just be used to using an old EFTPOS machine and you tap on it and nothing happens. You think, my goodness, this is no good.
Or it might be even more embedded as a central part of your business, like a surveyor out checking out something at Wanneroo and the kit that they need to lay out that new allotment to site that slab for a builder is just not working. And it could be purely because the Total Station is relying on 3G as its communication mode.
Oliver Peterson
Is there a way to check all of this, Bruce? I would imagine that this would also be on the antenna of the scammers. So, there’s a bit of a double whammy with this one.
Bruce Billson
We’re saying watch out for that. I mean there’s a couple of things you can do. There’s a website called 3gclosure.com.au Now, like our conversation is reflecting, it’s so much about the mobile phone, but it’s a starting point. What we’re also saying to Telstra and Optus and Vodafone is lean in a bit to look at your billing. If you’ve got 3G billing going to Oly and Bruce’s vending machine service, you might get the hint that we’re running vending machines that are relying on 3G.
So, we’re sort of saying to the telcos, you’re the most likely to know, why don’t you get up and about and lean in a bit. Step up, work in collaboration with the providers of that technology and those services and proactively reach out to customers.
For small and family businesses, if you’re not sure, have a look at the brand on the kit. Give them a call. We’re just saying, please don’t be caught short when it shut down and find you’re not able to function as an enterprise.
Oliver Peterson
Bruce, appreciate your time, as always. Have a good afternoon.
