3G Switch Off / Retirement

Vodafone - start their retirement in February and complete by December 2023.
Three UK - by the December 2024
EE - will switch of their 3G network 'during' 2024 by June 2023*
VMo2 - no formal announcement to date

Ofcom Overview (3.08.2022)

Which? summary on the UK network closures (15.12.2022)

2G will still be around for another decade or so (but with hugely reduced spectrum) to serve the needs of embedded M2M tech like smart meters and the like.

* edit: just discussing in thread over at ISPR; the truer date is actually June 2023 when folks on legacy 3G plans will be migrated onto new plans and only 2G functionality (calls and texts only) will otherwise be operable

Edited by Pheasant (Tue 27-Dec-22 15:38:50)

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

2G will still be around for another decade or so (but with hugely reduced spectrum) to serve the needs of embedded M2M tech like smart meters and the like.

The likes of EE say if you have an old 3G device that you’ll still be able to make calls, so they’re obviously hoping 2G has sufficient capacity left !

Just discovered this thread
Once again it would seem rural areas are being discriminated against. No 4g here from any operator only very flakey 3/2g . and sub uso internet coverage so wifi calling is hit and miss.
Only 55 miles from central London but communications wize its like being in the thied world

2G will be needed not just for smart meters, but also for MNVOs that don't support VoLTE - e.g. Plusnet.

In reply to a post by crule:

Just discovered this thread
Once again it would seem rural areas are being discriminated against. No 4g here from any operator only very flakey 3/2g . and sub uso internet coverage so wifi calling is hit and miss.
Only 55 miles from central London but communications wize its like being in the thied world

Ofcom won't let them leave you with no service. If you have not tried all 4 physical networks then its worth checking to see - but if you have a workable 3G service then you should at least get the same in 4G.

Because 3G was designed by committee and is pretty awfully designed, its time has come, the radio technology for 4G is superior (as is 2G).

In reply to a post by sheephouse:

2G will be needed not just for smart meters, but also for MNVOs that don't support VoLTE - e.g. Plusnet.

I can see one of two things happening:
* BT Plc exit the Plusnet brand for mobile phones and move everyone to EE (as they are doing with BT mobile)
* BT Plc update the parameters on your existing SIM to support VoLTE

The second is easy as it is just a business decision.

There appears to be little reliable data, but many smart meters have LTE logos, so can support 4G, so perhaps its parking meters and vending machines that are really going to need the 10 additional years to upgrade from 2G/GPRS connections.

Edited by jchamier (Wed 28-Dec-22 16:11:02)

I hope they upgrade all the 3G (with no 4G) masts to 4G when they switch off 3G where I live and work, in Gosport (Population 81,952 c2021).

The last time I checked and experimented, The 4G signal strength/quality from further away masts was to weak and virtually unusable. My phones and many others would loose signal altogether on 4G. The phones would keep hunting for 4G signals and not switch down to 3G sometimes. Or they'd switch to 3G for a few seconds, then back to weak 4G signal, then loose signal again and keep looping or hunting with no signal. We would miss incoming calls intermittently or not be able to make outgoing calls unless we manually switch to 3G / 2G or switch mobile data off in settings sometimes. This was the same with all the major providers where I live, some worse than others.

I hope you reported these issues to your provider and got compensation. None of that sounds normal for such a large town. I've not been your way for a while, used to go to Cosham weekly.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by crule:

Just discovered this thread
Once again it would seem rural areas are being discriminated against. No 4g here from any operator only very flakey 3/2g . and sub uso internet coverage so wifi calling is hit and miss.
Only 55 miles from central London but communications wize its like being in the thied world

Ofcom won't let them leave you with no service. If you have not tried all 4 physical networks then its worth checking to see - but if you have a workable 3G service then you should at least get the same in 4G.

Because 3G was designed by committee and is pretty awfully designed, its time has come, the radio technology for 4G is superior (as is 2G).

I wish I had your confidence. When I applied to OR for a broadband connection which met the USO I was told the cost to me would be "well in excess of £100K" as there was no one to agregate with.

It's been reported to all the providers - Mostly by my wifes employer when they kept changing contracts to the best deal they chose based on the contract price, and decided by an accountant who did no research or asked anyone what the real life coverage was like in the work/home locations, and which turned out to have the worst signal quality / strength. So bad, there was no signal at all regardless, on some parts of the site, even if data was switched off completely and being outdoors. So they to switch back to the old provider and pay for both for a while.

I'm sure this isn't an issue throughout the entire Gosport Borough but it is where we live and where my wife and I work. That is, 3 different places, each 1 mile apart. However the last time I checked, the nearest mast with 4G used to be over a mile away from the closest workplace and 2 miles away from the other workplace and home, all 4 providers. We seem to be in some of black hole for signal. Not sure if it's some kind of local interference or poor coverage from the providers.

Re. Cosham, I've never experienced any issues there so far, when I've visited. Although, that would of been on 3G, Because our phones are manually set to 3G now due to the 4G issues at home and work.