Around 200 homes will be left with poor cellphone coverage when 3G shuts down next week, affecting approximately 540 residents in Hillcrest and Mokorua.

Bridget Robson, a resident of Carling Road, can maintain a phone call only when standing next to her computer.

“It’s like having a landline,” she said.

She said the service was so unreliable that residents depended on voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi), using internet connections to make calls instead of cellular service to avoid dropouts.

Although Ms Robson is fortunate enough to receive some signal, her neighbours on Appenzell Drive experience even worse service.

Areas such as Appenzell Drive and the lower end of Melville Drive already have little to no coverage, and residents are concerned the 3G shutdown will leave them with practically no service.

Some community members have proposed installing a new cell tower on the hill behind Melville Drive, near a power pole, to improve coverage for homes in the valley above Commerce Street.

The affected homes currently lack a direct line of sight to either the main tower on Putauaki or the tower near the New World building, which residents believe contributes to the poor signal in their area.

The 3G network will be switched off on March 31 at 12:01am, with Spark and Skinny being the last providers to complete the shutdown.

This move aligns with trends in countries such as Australia and the United States, allowing for greater investment in 4G and 5G networks.

One NZ and 2degrees shut down their 3G networks earlier in this year.

The affected areas have moderate 3G coverage but are expected to have only limited coverage once 4G becomes the primary network.

A Spark spokesperson said, “the homes sit in a valley, which makes consistent coverage more challenging,” and strongly recommended that customers enable Voice over Wi-Fi if they have broadband.

Spark encourages customers with questions about the 3G shutdown to contact them at their dedicated 3G shutdown line at 0800 343 948.