3G shutdown: check your phones

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#3383188 12-Jun-2025 14:20

Linux:

bfginger:

Are One and 2Degrees are likely to delay their 3G shutdowns too?

I hope not. The sooner the better

Old Telco Technology CDMA/NEAX/UMITS/DMS has seen us well but is time to be put out to pasture

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#3383250 12-Jun-2025 14:55

Nothing like missing notifications from important things and then looking closer and seeing 3g on the signal bar and you are in one of those locations where they claim to offer 3g data but it doesnt work. Toggle airplane mode, back on 4/5g and then all the messages come flooding in.

Richard rich.ms

mill850

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#3384642 16-Jun-2025 10:45

nztim:

Pointers for Apple Users

If you have an iPhone 11 or above VoLTE is on by default and cannot be disabled
If you have an iPhone 6s to iPhone 10 you need to enable VoLTE under Mobile Data settings, it is not on by default
If you have an iPhone6 or older you need to replace the phone (or just keep using it as a data only device)

Incorrect - A family member uses an iPhone 6 on One and runs 4G voice and data

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#3384660 16-Jun-2025 12:31

mill850:

Incorrect - A family member uses an iPhone 6 on One and runs 4G voice and data

Sure, it's not a 6s?

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snj

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#3384684 16-Jun-2025 13:39

nztim:

mill850:

Incorrect - A family member uses an iPhone 6 on One and runs 4G voice and data

Sure, it's not a 6s?

Refer to my post a page ago https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=42&topicid=319858&page_no=3#3382742 the non-S 6 is supported on One NZ, it's more nuanced than specific phones as an outright guide, especially if people also need VoLTE Roaming (the original SE is also super inconsistent).

MadEngineer

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#3418483 24-Sep-2025 13:59

Has anyone with OneNZ found that when they call out that there’s a message advising about the 3G shutdown?

There may be some other quirks along these lines from the other day, also.

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richms

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#3418484 24-Sep-2025 14:02

Yeah I get that on my dual sim that only does LTE for one of them at a time. It will be a one-sim phone soon and I will have to get my data from the same company that I get voice from at that point.

Richard rich.ms

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#3418489 24-Sep-2025 14:14

It was introduced as a warning.

I wonder if they play the message if you are on a 3G call only.

I also wonder if you the message is also played if you are using a VoLTE capable phone but the call is on 3G because the cell site is so overloaded that 4G coverage is reduced. In this case the message would be misleading.

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#3418595 24-Sep-2025 21:30

It was that. Oddly it’s a still-current iPhone that lost 5G from settings somehow and it turned off wifi calling. It’s a phone that can do VoLTE as the account’s call reporting shows the funky long phone numbers in the history

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#3418599 24-Sep-2025 21:36

MadEngineer:

It was that. Oddly it’s a still-current iPhone that lost 5G from settings somehow and it turned off wifi calling. It’s a phone that can do VoLTE as the account’s call reporting shows the funky long phone numbers in the history

@MadEngineer Phone numbers would remain the same on the reporting going over any mobile technology. Why would they change?

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#3418678 25-Sep-2025 08:51

Of interest to those with phones that lack 4G band 28 (e.g. USA model iPhone 11): my cellular provider (Mercury) has been unable to confirm with 100% confidence that the device will continue to work after the 3G shutdown. They say there are no plans to block the devices, but it seems like it's a wee bit of an unknown at this stage. Mercury uses Spark. I received this information from Mercury's cellular specialist, i.e. someone with subject matter expertise, not the regular customer support you get when you phone them.

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#3418683 25-Sep-2025 09:25

I remember getting faster speeds on 3G a decade ago than I do on Spark's, incredibly poor, modern day 4G in Hornby, Christchurch:

I've faced constant speed and coverage issues galore ever since I joined Spark a few months back now. Upload is routinely 1 Mbps or less on 4G. Many speedtests just simply time out- the network is oftentimes just straight up unusable.

Spark don't even have reliable cell service in their own retail store in Hornby, let alone through the rest of the mall (it's been a mobile dead zone for 10+ years). It is staggering just how bad the service is coming from One NZ. I regret moving every day.

Sometimes I am lucky to even get just 3G service. Looking at GIS.geek.nz, it appears that they don't even have 5G enabled on the (single) tower they have here yet.

Appears not to be a handset issue. I'm using an iPhone 16 Pro on the latest software (iOS 26, but happened on iOS 18 too) and have reset, restarted, etc., yet using the same phone on the One NZ network in the exact same locations gives fantastic speeds (many hundreds of megabits) and vastly improved uploads.

Turning off 3G - without some significant changes - is going to be an unmitigated disaster.

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#3418687 25-Sep-2025 09:33

boosacnoodle:

Turning off 3G - without some significant changes - is going to be an unmitigated disaster.

Telcos hope to reallocate the spectrum after it's freed. It may or may not improve things.

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#3418690 25-Sep-2025 09:53

@boosacnoodle I know your pain my work handset on SparkNZ Samsung S23fe in Auckland cbd in / around parts of Sky city will goto ' emergency calls only ' and then camp on OneNZ or 2degrees and my 2degrees handset S23+ has really good 4G / 5G coverage and same for OneNZ good 4G / 5G coverage in the same locations

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#3418692 25-Sep-2025 09:56

Metamorphic:

Of interest to those with phones that lack 4G band 28 (e.g. USA model iPhone 11): my cellular provider (Mercury) has been unable to confirm with 100% confidence that the device will continue to work after the 3G shutdown. They say there are no plans to block the devices, but it seems like it's a wee bit of an unknown at this stage. Mercury uses Spark. I received this information from Mercury's cellular specialist, i.e. someone with subject matter expertise, not the regular customer support you get when you phone them.

@Metamorphic If your handset does not suppport band 28 then in many RCG locations sites only have band28 700Mhz so no coverage

Most of the urban / city sites also support band28 so you will be missing out on this coverage / capacity as well

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