About Mobile Phone Networks

An activated nano SIM card is required for the FirstCall 4G Mobile pendants.

The Options for providing the nano SIM are:

• Use a FirstCall supplied and maintained SIM which uses the full Telstra 4GX/4G/3G networks. FirstCall will charge you on a yearly basis for the SIM and any usage over the “Fair Use” limit. The alarm will come fully set-up with your contacts phone numbers.

• Use your own pre-SIM card. You will need to open the pendant and insert your own nano-SIM. Just like any pre-paid SIM account you will need to register the SIM and check the usage and account balance from time to time. FirstCall cannot manage a pre-paid SIM for you, You will also need to set-up your contacts phone numbers as shown in the user manual.

Before you purchase a FirstCall 4GX Mobile Alarm Pendant it is important to check the mobile phone coverage in your area. You can do this by clicking on the button below. Enter your street address and any area you regularly travel to.

Why so Many G’s?

As our society becomes increasingly “connected” and mobile, the demand for more wireless data and higher download speed is insatiable.

Transmitting data over wireless uses a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum called the radio frequency spectrum. The higher the data speed the more radio spectrum that is required, but radio spectrum is a very limited resource.

Just like tuning an old AM radio dial across the broadcast band, there are only a limited number of radio stations, music, or talk-back conversations, that can fit in before they start to interfere with each other.

Because radio spectrum is limited, Governments manage the allocation of spectrum to prevent interference between all the different users. They do this by dividing the spectrum up through regulation, and by selling parts of the spectrum to the highest bidders at Government spectrum auctions. In Australia this is done through the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). Because radio signals don't stop at national borders, internationally, radio spectrum is managed by the International Telecommunications Union (the ITU), of which ACMA is a member.

Spectrum for mobile phone use is extremely limited and highly sought after, so it’s very expensive indeed. Mobile phone operators such as Telstra, Optus and Vodaphone pay a lot of money for their use of spectrum, and are always looking for new ways to improve the efficiency and data capacity of their mobile networks, and to to add more features.

This is why, over the past 30 years or so, we have moved through various generations (G’s) of mobile phone systems. It’s all about finding more efficient and effective ways to transmit huge amounts of data over the limited radio spectrum, and to provide the all the new services, while keeping mobile phone network charges as low as possible.

The 3G Network Closure

Telstra have announced plans to close their 3G network in mid 2024. Other mobile phone operators such as Optus and Vodaphone are expected to close around the same time. This is because they all need to free-up the radio spectrum currently used by 3G for their new 5G services.

It is also likely that the reliability and coverage of 3G networks will be affected prior to shut-down. There is some evidence that this is already happening.

Medical Alarms that operate only on the 3G network will need to be upgraded to 4G well prior to the 3G closure date. Unless your Medical Alarm is provided as part of an ongoing Medical Alarm Monitoring Service that includes equipment provision, maintenance, and upgrading, you will need to purchase a new 4G Medical Alarm soon.

Not all 4G Medical Alarms are the Same

4G voice services operate over what is called Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE). Some 4G pendants are not VoLTE enabled, and still only use the 3G network to make voice calls. Although they will still be able to send text messages, some of these pendants may not be able to make voice calls over 4G when the 3G networks close.

Purchases of new Medical Alarms should check that the product they are considering is 4G VoLTE enabled, and therefor relatively future-proof.

The Telstra 4GX network

We use the Telstra 4GX network for our Medical Alarms.

The 4GX network uses radio spectrum at 700MHz (MHz is short for Megahertz, or a frequency of one million cycles per second). This is the lowest frequency used by mobile phone networks and it can go further than previous 4G frequencies with less signal loss in buildings. The effect is better 4G coverage in rural and regional areas, and improved in-building coverage.

5G - Into the future

5G technology further pushes the limits on data speeds over wireless, for emerging uses such as high definition video streaming; smart driver-less cars; automated electricity and gas meter reading; robotic surgery; telemedicine; the internet of things; and many other applications that haven’t been invented yet.

It does this by using a range of new technologies that make more efficient use of the spectrum, and by using some clever tricks like Smart Antennas which beam (focus) the signal from the transmitting cell to the customer, so the same radio spectrum can be reused for somebody else off in another direction. It also makes use of small-cells which have a very small coverage area, so it can reuse the same spectrum in the same suburb. Watch out for small antennas appearing on the telegraph poles in your street.

So, when will 5G replace 4G? 5G is a very complex technology that requires a vast amount of new equipment to be rolled out by the networks. 3G was first introduced into Australia in 2003 and will be discontinued in 2024 - a span of 21 years. So, it is likely that 4G, first introduced in 2011, will have at least another 10 years left to run.

By the way, a lot has been written about the health aspects of 5G, and it has been blamed for everything from causing cancers and the Corona - 19 pandemic, to being a military weapon. However, as Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki says “despite many hundreds of studies over the past half century, we have never been able to prove any of these non-ionising waves can cause cancer — and this applies to 5G radiation too”. Click here.