Telecommunications

Don't be a 3G switch-off casualty

Emily Carter — Fri, 31 May 2024 06:41:00 +0000

Don't be a 3G switch-off casualty Emily Carter Fri, 05/31/2024 - 16:41

31 May 2024

Australian �Թ�� and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson interview with Dusty Fitzpatrick.

2BS Bathurst

Subject: Don’t be a 3G switch-off casualty

Dusty Fitzpatrick

The Australian �Թ�� and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson has urged small, family and farming businesses to make sure they're not caught out by the 3G switch-off happening in August and September. Bruce joins us now, good afternoon.

Bruce Billson

Dusty, great to be with you and the listeners.

Dusty Fitzpatrick

Wonderful to have your company this afternoon. Could you talk us through how significant the potential impact is of the 3G switch-off for small businesses, particularly those in rural areas?

Bruce Billson

It been a big deal and it still is a big deal and it's coming to a real crunch point after some years that we've known 3G was going to be turned off. The TPG and Vodafone networks switched off 3G already, and we know that Optus is planning to switch off its 3G network on the 1st of September and Telstra is doing the same on the 31st of August.

Why I've tried to raise awareness and bring attention to this, is that for a lot of rural and regional and farming and small businesses, they've got 3G technology embedded in the things that they use as a central part of their business. So, most people know the 3G handsets that you might use for phones and texting, they've be pretty alert that that's got a real shelf life to it. And most people have taken action to remedy that.

But what’s less clear is you look at some of the older EFTPOS terminals, look at some security systems, even asset tracking tools. And for the farming community, some of the water and land environmental management wireless systems actually have 3G behind them as the communication that makes that kit, that technology, actually function.

So, most people don't focus on that underlying technology for the wireless aspect of that kit. They focus on the water monitoring effectiveness, the microclimate analysis, opening and shutting gates or tracking assets. And even in rural and regional areas, I know at some of the fuel stations now, you've got capacity to fill up with diesel and the like and the EFTPOS terminal that sits there to help enable that transaction, like with some vending machines, Dusty, actually has 3G technology sitting behind it.

So that's why I'm saying to people, don't become a fatality of the 3G turn off, check the functionality of the kit and technology that may well be using it and take action before that kit becomes dysfunctional.

Dusty Fitzpatrick

What steps do you recommend small businesses take to determine if their devices will be affected?

Bruce Billson

Well, a couple of things you can do. First of all, check yourselves. I mean, if there's still people with owner's manuals and technical specifications and the like, check on those things.

Next step I would probably do would be to reach out to your supplier. So, if you've got a rural supply industry that may have provided you with the water tank opening and shutting sort of technology, just checking with them.

And the other thing is you can jump online. There's a couple of resources. Telstra has got some on its website about mobile devices, so has Optus. But there's also the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, which has set up a website www.3gclosure.com.au

That's some resources where you can go and check that out. I guess my message is don't be caught out by it. Take some steps now, make some inquiries and reassure yourself that something vital to your business is not all of a sudden going to turn up the toes just because the 3G network’s been switched off.

Dusty Fitzpatrick

Important message this afternoon. Bruce, as always, thank you for your time.

Bruce Billson

Good to be with you Dusty.

3G switch-off warning for small business

Emily Carter — Fri, 31 May 2024 03:53:18 +0000

3G switch-off warning for small business Emily Carter Fri, 05/31/2024 - 13:53

31 May 2024

Australian �Թ�� and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson interview with Becc Chave.

ABC Radio SA South East

Subject: 3G switch-off warning for small business

Becc Chave

Australia's 3G networks are closing down. You still got a bit of time before this does start impacting you, but it is important that Australians know if they will be impacted. If you've received notice from your service provider to upgrade your device, don't put off taking action. That's the message coming from the AMTA and the �Թ�� and Family Enterprise Ombudsman. Bruce Billson is the Ombudsman. Bruce, good morning. Thanks for your time on the program.

Bruce Billson

Awesome to be with you and your listeners.

Becc Chave

Do you think businesses have been given enough time to prepare for this?

Bruce Billson

It's been a slow train coming, this one, but I suppose it's only when you see the headlight you think, this is getting closer. I think it's been four or five years in the making. It's not been any surprise that the 3G network is coming to an end and I think for people with their handheld phone devices and the like, they'll been pretty alert to it.

What I’m concerned about, though, is there's an awful lot of technology kit equipment, used in everyday small, family and farming businesses that's actually powered by 3G. And these are the sorts of things you probably don't think about what the technology for the wireless link is. You're thinking more about what the piece of kit actually does. And so it can actually slip past you that when the 3G network shut off, you might find your, you know, old style EFTPOS machine no longer working, security cameras, you know, some of the asset tracking tools, particularly for our farming communities, the water and environmental monitoring technology and those micro-climate technologies. Many of those operate on a wireless operating system and a significant number have 3G as the back end of those systems.

So, I'm really saying to people, don't be a casualty of the 3G shut-off, check your device functionality, talk to the suppliers, talk with the telcos, and make sure you're aware of what beyond your phone handset may be affected by the planned shutdown

Becc Chave

Is this putting on additional costs to business owners or landowners who have to navigate this change? We had a text through earlier this morning, Bruce, from Sharon and she said, I have to replace my Telstra repeater and antenna because of the 3G network shutting down. This system costs me $1,700. The new system is costing me $2,900 just to get reasonable, consistent service.

Bruce Billson

The answer is yes. Just when margins are being squeezed in small, family and farming businesses, for many, this will be another unwelcome expense. 3G - I won't bore you listeners with all the technical jargon around it - but 3G has got a longer reach. The thickness of the pipe in terms of the volume of data it carries is thinner than 4G and 5G, but it stretches further. So, in rural and regional and remote areas, 3G has sort of been, you know, appreciated for the long range.

So, in some cases, even when you're switching over to 4G, you might find that that new signal doesn't reach as far. That can be an issue. And as your texter has highlighted, a lot of on property telephony and Wi-Fi extensions and the like may well be using 3G.

But there's a lot of less obvious things too. Let's talk about vending machines. You know they remotely advise the people that own them that the stock levels are down and away you go. Some of the card payment tap-on things you see car parks, they've got 3G behind them as well. I saw reports that $500, $600, possibly more, to replace those payment tap-and-go systems, yet the things that they're attached to might only generate $1,000 of profit a year. And you can see what a hit that will be.

So, this is going to cost some people money. It is probably an unwelcome expense. It has been foreshadowed for a long time, but we're now getting to crunch point, and I'm just concerned people might find vital bits of their kit and technology they use in their everyday small, family and farming business is just not functioning because the 3G networks won't be available.

Becc Chave

Is this something you've been receiving calls about, or at least perhaps concerns that there hasn't been enough guidance through this.

Bruce Billson

We have had contact from a number of industry associations. I mean, some are very specific. I don't know how many surveyors might be in your listening audience, but they've got a little piece of kit called a total station. It maps out property boundaries and undulations and all that. Well, many of those pieces of kit use 3G as their communication method and that's been raised with us, along with some in the farming community around those remote distance monitoring technologies that are pretty common on larger farming properties, that a number of those will be in strife.

As well as some concerns about the telephony use itself. I touched earlier on the reach of 3G. For some people emergency call capability and the like is assisted by the longer reach of the signal on 3G, whereas the more sophisticated, able to carry more data signals that you get with 4G and 5G might not reach as far. And that's left some people are a little vulnerable.

That’s where it’s come up and I just thought the best thing I can do is almost as a community service notification Becc, if I could call it that, be aware that it's coming. Optus is looking to switch theirs off on the 1st of September. Telstra was going to go a bit earlier, but they've now decided to delay that until 31st of August. So, we're not too far away. And for those on TPG and Vodafone networks, their networks are already shut down. So, it's coming.

Becc Chave

A good message to get prepared. Bruce, thank you very much for your time on the program this morning.

Bruce Billson

Take care, Becc.

3G switch-off - small business warned not to be caught short

Emily Carter — Wed, 29 May 2024 07:15:04 +0000

3G switch-off - small business warned not to be caught short Emily Carter Wed, 05/29/2024 - 17:15

29 May 2024

Australian �Թ�� and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson interview with Leon Delaney.

Radio 2CC Canberra

Subject: 3G switch-off - small business warned not to be caught short

Leon Delaney

The Australian �Թ�� and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Bruce Billson, has warned small businesses about the upcoming 3G switch off. That's at the end of August and the beginning of September for the last two remaining telcos that still have 3G. Because we know Vodafone's already switched theirs off. Now the warning is, of course, that the switch off of 3G technology could very well impact on a lot more than just old-fashioned mobile phones.

Australian �Թ�� and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Bruce Billson, good afternoon.

Bruce Billson

Leon, great to be with you and your listeners on this capital day.

Leon Delaney

It's a lovely day today, but it's not going to be quite so lovely on the weekend, is it? I mean, the timing is terrible.

Bruce Billson

Well, it's interesting thinking about the weekend and thinking about the broader Canberra region's audience. I mean, you can think of grape growers and other graziers and the like, who may well use remote technology to monitor weather conditions, rainfall opening and shutting gates. Those sorts of things or asset tracking tools.

So many of these things, including security systems and cameras and the like actually are powered off the 3G network. So, when that closure happens, you could well find yourself caught short.

And I guess my community service message is don't be a 3G casualty, check out your device capacity or something like that.

Leon Delaney

By crikey, Bruce, you really know what you're doing. That was an incredibly masterful segue from weather into the 3G close-down. That was brilliant.

Bruce Billson

Leon, we're living in the moment. You’ve got discerning listeners, and they just don't want, you know, puff and wind from me. They want me to get straight into it.

But that's the reality of it. You know, if you and I were running a transport business and we had tracking devices on our assets or even a hire business. If we're using security cameras, and the one that's probably most omnipresent, if I could use that word, are EFTPOS machines. Some of the earlier version EFTPOS machines at local shops and businesses that are used for merchant payments are powered off the 3G network.

So, when it's shut down, you risk being a 3G casualty if you haven't checked out your device functionality.

Leon Delaney

Now, we've known for quite some time that this is coming, and it's not exactly meant to be a surprise to anybody. But what might be surprising to people is the vast array of devices that might actually be impacted.

It's not just your mobile phone, it's not just your EFTPOS terminal. As you said, security systems, cameras, scanners, routers, tablets, smartwatches, asset tracking tools, even surveying instruments, water and environmental monitoring instruments. I mean, this is a very long list of things that are potentially affected, isn't it?

Bruce Billson

Well, it is. And we know that 3G, whilst it doesn't have the bandwidth or the pipe width that 4G and 5G has, it has good range. It can stretch further. For many people wanting good range and functional connectivity without deep, deep rich data needing to flow through it, 3G has been an attractive option.

We learned some years back, I think you and I were both much younger, when the CDMA network - remember that one?

Leon Delaney

Yes, the good old CDMA network.

Bruce Billson

Same thing happened. A lot of people were sitting there thinking, look, I've got the phone sorted, but why is this vital kit and systems and technology that's central to my business now not working? That’s the thing that I'm most concerned about.

Yes, we have had this 3G discussion for some time, and we've rightly had the discussion about rural and regional and remote communities appreciating the longer reach of a 3G signal and then saying it's vital for emergency services.

But when you're doing those sort of remote telemetry things, measuring the microclimate, soil conditions, rainfall and even looking after assets that rely upon that 3G communications link, that can all happen without too much knowledge. And all of a sudden, you're basically rendered unable to use that technology and your business is harmed.

Leon Delaney

We all saw the chaos when the Optus mobile network went down last year. You know, it's a similar kind of thing if you're not prepared for the change in technology. The thing that really caught me by surprise, though, is apparently, you've pointed out that even some 4G enabled devices actually still rely on elements of 3G. I wouldn't have expected that.

Bruce Billson

Yeah, and this is all about the way spectrum has become available over time. And you see different devices using different types of communications technology to get an efficient and cost-effective outcome. Because for people providing these services, they need to either pay for or have access to the spectrum within those bands. And if you've got only a certain amount of capability, well, that might be cached, if I could use that word, directed into the 4G space, whereas other parts of it might well be serviced by the 3G network.

So, what we're urging people to do is to have a think about that. Really think deeply about what you're using in your small and family and farming business. Contact suppliers just to check in if you're not sure. There's also some helpful websites that both Telstra and Optus are offering, and the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association’s got a good one, which is www.3Gclosure.com.au

Leon Delaney

Okay. So, the number for Telstra is 132 200. The number of Optus is 133 937 or get onto the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association website 3Gclosure.com.au

And I guess after all of this warning, there is no excuse. But the thing that really baffles me, Bruce, is that once upon a time it was enough to just know what you were doing in your own particular field of business. Now you've got to be a tech expert as well. It’s baffling, isn't it?

Bruce Billson

It's the changing nature of our economy because tech and digital engagement, there is research that points to improve productivity, resilience, profitability with the deeper your digital engagement.

So, people have reached for these technologies to improve their productivity, save on the mundane tasks, but it does mean we need to be attuned to those things.

In recent days I've been talking about using social media securely and putting out a bit of a guide for those businesses that rely upon those social media platforms as their primary channel to their customers. And what happens if your account hacked and all of a sudden, it's effectively like your shop being closed and shuttered over because some scammers got in and done nefarious things on your web presence.

These are the sorts of new challenges we’re navigating.

Leon Delaney

Or indeed if Elon Musk purchases your favourite social media platform and then changes the rules and you don't like it anymore.

Bruce Billson

I'll take that as a comment. Hang on, that’s another show.

Leon Delaney

Bruce, thanks very much for your time today. Bruce Billson, the Australian �Թ�� and Family Enterprise Ombudsman.

TRANSCRIPT: Optus and small business, banking services

Emily Carter — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 01:42:32 +0000

TRANSCRIPT: Optus and small business, banking services Emily Carter Mon, 11/13/2023 - 12:42

10 November 2023

TRANSCRIPT

Australian �Թ�� and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson interview with Leon Delaney.

Radio 2CC Canberra

10 November 2023

Leon Delaney

Australian �Թ�� and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Bruce Billson, good afternoon.

Bruce Billson

Leon, fab to be with you and the Capital listeners of 2CC.

Leon Delaney

Obviously, Optus has not only dropped the ball here, they've dropped the ball badly and then having dropped the ball badly they failed to pick it up, because they weren't telling anybody anything for hours on end. And now yesterday at the end of the day, around 5:30 in the afternoon, they finally said, well, look, we'll give you 200 gigabytes of data. That's no help to small businesses, is it?

Bruce Billson

We think that's inadequate. The telcos generally, and Optus included, talk a really good game about understanding the vitality of good telco services for small family businesses. It's not just about making and receiving phone calls, Leon. Payment platforms are enabled, bookings arrangements, your ability to run your own business is often into interwoven into your telecommunication service. You've got digital data record keeping, the accounts, payroll, all these sorts of things. So, it's really much more than just being out of contact. It's out of capability to function as a business.

And what we were hoping for from Optus was that they would recognise that and come forward with a more tailored response for small and family businesses for whom many have suffered quite an important economic loss that needs to be part of the remediation solution.

Leon Delaney

It appears very much as if the CEO of Optus, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, doesn't really understand the impact on small business.

She was talking in a television interview and responded to a suggestion that a barber had to close his store for the day in Sydney. And she said on Channel Nine, I'm disappointed that a barber couldn't do haircuts today, that seems like one of the few things you can do without connectivity. The point is he couldn't take payments.

Bruce Billson

Well, he couldn't take payments and he couldn't take bookings. I mean, the barber shop that looks after my diminishing hair, you book online and he's more of a creative sort to make something out of not much with my hair.

But their whole ability to engage customers is through a digital platform. So, there's an inability to actually let customers know that you're open, let them know that there is a capability to cut hair, make the booking and then receive payment, not to mention the business of running the business of a barber shop is so dependent on those technological links. So, I don't think that was the finest moment of the CEO. I do respect that the CEO's probably under enormous pressure right now, but I guess that's my point. In the sales pitch there’s a great appreciation of those dependencies as the telcos, including Optus, talk about how they get that, they understand that and they're here to provide the services.

When something doesn't go right, I guess I'm calling for the same degree of appreciation and understanding and that would see Optus open to the fact that some businesses have had red ink in their day because of the inability to use the service that they were supposed to get.

Now, if Optus isn't prepared to do that, Leon, your small and family business listeners should reach out to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. That's a scheme that Optus is a member of. It's designed to deal with these sorts of complaints and where there is a financial loss, to raise those and to determine what is a reasonable remedy given that there's been a material loss which a business has been able to evidence, and the telco should do something about that.

Leon Delaney

That same barber shop also reported another problem, and that was that customers would come in and he would explain that he couldn't take a card payment and they would say, look, I'll go and find an ATM and I'll come back. They never came back because they couldn't find an ATM. And there's a report today that people are now taking aim at our big banks and complaining about the reduction in ATM services that we've experienced in recent years. They've been quietly shutting ATM locations and outsourcing it to third party operators.

Bruce Billson

Yeah, and in some cases not outsourcing them to anybody. I know in some regions they've lost about a third of their ATMs. They’ve also had a substantial reduction in the number of bank branches. And in some cases, the big banks say they're a branch, but they're not actually because they don't hold cash on site with no one there you can get services from.

This is this is part of the cashless economy conversation that's going on at the moment. That's fine when everything's functioning well. It goes back to that centrality of having functioning telecommunications, because you can't use all of those payment platforms, all of those ways of settling your accounts if the telcos aren’t operating. And Leon and your listeners would know over those horrible, horrible weeks of the bushfires and the like, similar thing happened where the telecommunications network was down. We're all urging businesses to digitise their operations to store data in the cloud and they're basically saying, well, how can we do all that when the pipeline between all that data and capability in our business is not functioning, the whole show comes to a grinding halt.

Leon Delaney

I have a T-shirt. It's got a great caption on it. It says this: there is no cloud. It's just someone else's computer. And the fact is, when that computer stops working, we're all stuffed, aren't we?

Bruce Billson

Well, we are. And I've got a t shirt that says, I live in Murrumbateman. There seems to be no clouds out there because it never rains. There's two t-shirts. But that's the issue that people are talking about, what the work arounds look like, what the contingencies look like.

I know when my wife and I were owning a retail business and the very circumstances that we talked about arose, you used to have something called a bank card slip. You know, that little piece of paper that you’d chuck into that clunky machine and try not to get your fingers caught in and you'd fill it out by hand and then shoot that off to the bank and you'd get payment, you'd hope, some stage down the track. Now that sort of manual work around is not evident these days, and that's what makes reliable and dependable telco services important and also some accountability when they don't function as they’ve been promised.

Leon Delaney

I know you got to rush off, but just a final question. What should Optus do to compensate small business owners and operators because they've suffered a real financial loss. Optus is going to have to pay some sort of financial compensation, aren't they?

Bruce Billson

That's right. And they should honour the scheme that they've signed up to through the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, where small and family businesses can bring forward evidence of the actual financial impact. And then the Ombudsman will set what's a reasonable figure as a remedy for those circumstances.

So, if your listeners are in that situation, Leon, that haven't got satisfaction directly through Optus, jump on the tio.com.auwebsite. You'll see there's a tab there for lodging a complaint. Have your information, have your records, even have readily available what that day’s trade looked like 12 months ago and say well this is what it looks like today, here’s the customer loss that we've suffered. This is my economic harm. How about you think about addressing that as a remedy rather than just giving me more data.

Leon Delaney

They'll be inundated with so many people trying to log onto that website, they'll probably crash it.

Bruce Billson

Well, I talked to the Ombudsman earlier today, just to see how they were going, and Cynthia's very able, but she's anticipating some very busy weeks and months ahead.

Leon Delaney

Bruce, thanks so much for your time today.

Bruce Billson

Thank you, Leon.

The future is digital for regional businesses with improved internet

admin — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 04:03:42 +0000

The future is digital for regional businesses with improved internet admin Fri, 12/10/2021 - 15:03

26 March 2021

The Australian �Թ�� and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson says small businesses in regional and remote areas of Australia now have more reasons to digitise, with NBN Co announcing expanded coverage and lower wholesale prices.

NBN Co says its Business Satellite Service has been improved to cover Australia’s mainland and large surrounding islands, with wholesale prices significantly reduced.

“Fast and reliable internet is an essential service to most small businesses and especially those in regional and remote part of the country,” Mr Billson says.

“Equally, it’s an incentive to small businesses to improve their online presence, particularly at a time when more consumers are shopping online.

“The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows online sales rose by more than 70% in December compared to the same period a year ago.

“A survey of more than 1000 Australians conducted on behalf of NBN CO that 70% have been consciously supporting local businesses online. However, it also revealed that two-thirds of respondents were restricted by the limited digital presence of those businesses.

“Many small businesses have adopted better use of mobile and internet technologies as a result of the COVID crisis and we want to see that trend continue.

“The reality is that digitisation is now crucial to being truly competitive. That means everything from having a website, to being e-commerce enabled and targeting customers through social media platforms.

“SMEs with advanced levels of digital engagement are 50% more likely to grow revenue and earn 60% more revenue per person, according to MYOB research.