With the 3G network shutdown in Australia, it's important to know if your imported or tourist phone will work.
Phones aren’t exactly cheap nowadays. So it’s understandable that Aussies are looking at imported phones to knock some serious money off hefty RRPs. Outside of a potentially limited warranty, the other catch is that not all international phones will work in Australia. That’s important to consider whether you’re visiting Australia or buying a phone for use in Australia.
Here’s what you need to know to ensure your phone will work in Australia, specifically because the Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone 3G networks in Australia are no longer available. But it’s not just 3G phones that won’t work on Australian mobile networks; certain 4G phones won’t work either if they don’t support Voice over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE) Emergency Calling.
Older phones may not work at all in Australia. This includes 3G-only handsets, 4G phones that don’t support the 700MHz band, 4G phones without VoLTE, and 4G VoLTE phones reliant on 3G for emergency calls.
The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) has a Check My Device website where you can input your International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number to check compatibility. To find your IMEI number, dial *#06# on your phone and make note of the relevant info in the pop-up.
In the wake of its 3G network shutdown, Telstra has a Device Capability Checker website to verify whether your mobile phone will work on its mobile network, including Telstra mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). Dial *#06# on your phone, then input the first eight digits of your IMEI on the Telstra Device Compatibility Checker site to check whether it will work.
Telstra notes that you may need to update your phone software and confirm that VoLTE is enabled on your device. Follow these steps to update VoLTE settings on an iPhone or iPad:
Android phones differ between manufacturers, but you should be able to find relevant VoLTE settings on eligible devices by going to settings, ‘Connections’ (or equivalent), then checking the options under ‘Mobile networks’ (or equivalent).
Note that if you’re using a grey import phone or are visiting Australia with an international handset, your device will be blocked on the Telstra mobile network if it doesn’t support VoLTE, including VoLTE Emergency Calling.
If you’re in the market for a mobile plan on the Telstra network, here are popular picks from our database.
A grey import phone is one that’s an international version of a phone that may or may not be sold in Australia. For a phone to be sold in Australia, it has to be compatible with the Australian mobile networks. International phones don’t have to meet those requirements, so they may be either partially or fully incompatible.
Optus says that mobile phones and cellular-capable smartwatches that don’t fully support VoLTE will be blocked on its mobile network. If you want to check whether your phone is compatible with any plan on the Optus mobile network, including Optus MVNOs, first dial *#06# on your phone and make note of the first eight digits of your IMEI number. Input those IMEI digits on the dedicated Optus Blocked Device Checker website.
As with Telstra, if your international phone doesn’t fully support VoLTE (including VoLTE Emergency Calling), you won’t be able to use it with any plan on the Optus network in Australia.
If you’re interested in a mobile plan on the Optus network, check out these popular plans from our database.
Vodafone completed its 3G mobile network shutdown in January 2024. After some shutdown extensions, Telstra and Optus followed suit, and they had closed their respective 3G networks as of November 2024. If you have a 3G mobile phone or a 4G phone that doesn’t support VoLTE Emergency Calling, you won’t be able to use it on the Telstra or Optus networks. Even if your 3G or 4G phone without VoLTE Emergency Calling initially works on the Vodafone network, it will stop after a few months.
Vodafone doesn’t have a device compatibility checker like Telstra or Vodafone. Instead, Vodafone has a list of approved devices by manufacturer. If you want to know whether your cellular device will work on the Vodafone mobile network, ensure it’s one of the options below:
If you buy an international phone to use in Australia, it may work for a few months on the Vodafone mobile network, but then it could be blocked if it’s incompatible. That’s because Vodafone allows international VoLTE phones that don’t support VoLTE Emergency Calling to work for 90 days before blocking to help visitors have non-emergency phone functionality while visiting Australia.
Check out this list of popular plans from our database if you’re interested in perusing mobile plans on the Vodafone network.
For a phone to be fully functional in Australia across all mobile networks, it needs to support a range of Australian frequencies across 4G and 5G networks. If your phone only supports some and not all frequencies on a mobile network, it may work in some parts of Australia but not in others.
Read our full guide on Australian network frequencies to check if your international device is compatible.
On average, our users save over $160 a year when they switch telco services. Start saving now.
On average, our users save over $160 a year when they switch telco services. Start saving now.
(Based on information gathered via a WhistleOut survey)
Please complete all fields to subscribe.
An error has occurred. Please try again.
Success! You are now subscribed.
Get the best deals, news and tips delivered directly to your inbox.
We will never sell or share your personal information or send you emails about anything other than what you’re signing up for. Please read our privacy policy for more information.
We’ll keep you updated with all the best news & deals.
To shop authentic smartphones, accessories, and power solutions, visit Thikra Store.
Leave a Comment