Vodafone begins shutdown of its Sure Signal service

Those in rural New Zealand will be losing Sure Signal in the coming days. Photo / 123RF

Vodafone has begun shutting down its Sure Signal service, potentially leaving thousands of users in areas with limited or no mobile coverage disconnected.

Introduced in 2011 as a 3G mobile booster, Sure Signal has reached the end of its life, with the technology no longer supported by the vendor.

Vodafone began switching off Sure Signal yesterday, and the process is expected to be completed in a few days.

There are approximately 8000 Sure Signal customers, though the number has steadily declined as people upgrade to newer technology, Vodafone say.

"Technology is continually evolving, so we need to keep retiring unsupported legacy devices including Sure Signal to make way for newer and more efficient options," said Sharina Nisha, Head of Network Services.

"With the Rural Connectivity Group building more cell sites in rural NZ, and lots of Vodafone mobile network upgrades in recent years, the mobile network footprint has expanded. Or, customers can tap into a Wifi signal with our new Wifi Calling device feature," Nisha said.

Vodafone has been marking the impending end of Sure Signal for the past two years on the box of all units sold since December 2019. Users have also been notified via email and text over the last couple of months.

Sure Signal customers can use Wifi Calling - a free alternative for Vodafone customers. All customers need is a Wifi Calling capable (and enabled) device with the latest software to be able to turn it on.

As of November, Vodafone's Wifi Calling had more than 10,000 customers.

"Wifi Calling is a great alternative for people with little or no cellular connectivity, for example in rural locations or businesses operating in buildings with thick walls. Wifi Calling is being rolled out over the coming months to selected phones, which means that a Wifi Calling enabled device with the latest software updates is required to connect," Nisha said.

Those who want to know more about Wifi Calling can click here.