An employee provides a replacement Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone at a telecommunications shop in Seoul. Both original and replacement Note7 smartphones have since been recalled.

The technology giant, which first recalled the Galaxy Note7 smartphone in September, today confirmed it was working with Australian telecommunications carriers to stop any of the handsets from making phone calls, sending text messages, or doing anything that required a network connection.

More than 51,000 Note7 handsets were recalled in Australia after several caught fire within just two weeks of their worldwide release, and the phones were recalled a second time when some “safe” replacement models also burst into flames.

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Melbourne business analyst Tham Hua's Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone reportedly burst into flames while charging overnight, causing $1800 damage to his hotel room.Source:Supplied

It is not clear how many Samsung Galaxy Note7 buyers are still using the handset despite Samsung’s latest move to stop the phone from being used.

“The network discontinuation will commence from December 15 and is part of Samsung’s

ongoing safety measures to recover all affected Galaxy Note7 devices,” the company said in a statement.

“Galaxy Note7 customers in Australia have responded well to the recent recall, with only a

small number of affected devices still in customers’ hands.”

Other initiatives to retrieve the handsets have included kiosks at Australian airports and a software update that crippled the phone, preventing it from fully charging.

Samsung also revealed a new incentive to return the phone to its maker, offering users a $250 gift card or account credit when they swapped for a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge smartphone, in addition to a refund of the price difference between the phones.

The credit offer will be available until December 22.