Clarity of approved / supported mobiles after 28th Oct 2024 on 4g/5g network

[gcck88]

Hi @kate_  thanks for the reply. My concern is that the latest comms email that was sent to me states ""As mandated by the Australian Government, devices not compatible with emergency calling on 4G networks are to be blocked from using voice, SMS and data services in October 2024." 

I would prefer TPG not block the services and let us find out for ourselves whether our devices still works on/after the 28th of Oct. So just seeking clarification here as to whether TPG is going to enforce the block automatically or allowing their customers to see what happens?

[alanguide]

Unfortunately that Vodaphone site is a sales promotion rather than informative.

[gcck88]

@alanguide Agreed. Looks more of a general scripted reply. 

TPG team, any chance my query can be answered please? Are you or are you not enforcing the block of all mobile services automatically on the 28th of Oct on devices that are not on your "approved" list?

[kate_]

As this has been mandated by the Australian Government, we are legally required to place a block automatically on all devices that are incompatible. This is to avoid the risk of any of our customers being in a situation where they believe their service to be working, but they find they aren't able to call essential services in emergency situations.

We are unable to remove any of these blocks once they have been placed.

[gcck88]

Hi @kate_ thanks for that confirmation. Do you know what is being used to classify incompatible devices? ie device models, age of device, device brand, network band/frequencies supported by the device, etc.

[alanguide]

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@kate_ wrote:

As this has been mandated by the Australian Government, we are legally required to place a block automatically on all devices that are incompatible.

We are unable to remove any of these blocks once they have been placed.

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I'm  with Telstra for mobiles and their test bot has interrogated our A23 phones and declared them OK.

[kate_]

While we aren't able to share how device compatibility is determined, you can find the list of devices that will work with our network at the link below.

Voice over LTE (VoLTE)

[gcck88]

Hi @kate_ again, thanks for the quick reply. I had a look on that page and I can see that my mobile brand/model is not listed. But looking at the requirements listed in the page which I've copied below, my device actually meet all these requirements. Do I need to contact TPG directly to ensure that my device is not blocked then?

How do I know when I'm using VoLTE?

If you’re using an iPhone, ‘4G’ will be displayed in the status bar when using Voice over LTE.

If you’re using an Android device, ‘VoLTE’ will be displayed in the status bar beside the 4G icon.

Can I use VoLTE to call emergency services?

If your phone is VoLTE-compatible, then you can call emergency services over VoLTE

[Dropbear087]

 @gcck88

Just text "3" to 3498 which works with any Australian mobile carrier, see attached screenshot using the service on the Vodaphone network. That remotely queries your phone and you'll get an almost instant automatic reply stating whether it's compatible or not. My Realme 7 5G, Realme 6 4G and Oppo A72 4G aren't on TPG's list but all of them are VoLTE capable.... which is what's important. No 3G-only phones are VoLTE capable, also many early 4G phones are not able to use VoLTE, even if all available firmware upgrades have been applied.

[alanguide]

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@Dropbear087 wrote:

 ...Just text "3" to 3498 which works with any Australian mobile carrier....

That was how I confirmed My Telstra mobiles. I was not aware that other networks used the same function