Vodafone is making a big move this week.
They’ve announced they’re cutting off 2G coverage to thousands of users to make way for faster 4G and 5G – three years before originally planned.
The original deadline was in 2033, but the telecoms company announced on Monday that the service, launched in 1991, will shut down in 2030 instead.
A spokesperson said: ‘2G was launched in 1991, around the same time as a page of the World Wide Web took nearly 10 minutes to load.
‘Fast forward to the present day, and web pages can almost instantaneously pop up on a smartphone over 5G.’
Though the transition is still years away, Vodafone reassured customers that they would remain connected until the deadline.
‘In addition, we continue to expand our 4G and 5G networks, as well as looking to introduce direct-to-device mobile broadband satellite services, so that by the end of 2030, Vodafone will serve areas that have little or no coverage today.’
In 2021, the UK announced that 2G and 3G mobile networks would be phased out by 2033, to ‘increase the security of telecoms supply chains and move the country towards greater 5G connectivity’.
The government said there were wider benefits to the move, including making it simpler to run networks as operators do not have to deal with the challenges which can arise from running up to four networks.
The loss of 2G and 3G systems will allow the UK to move towards 5G, but it may also force many people to change their phones.
Many old ‘feature’ phones or ageing smartphones (like the iPhone 3GS) won’t be able to function. Moreover, other systems that use a 3G or 2G network, like security cameras or alarm systems, will also need to be upgraded.
BT says that ‘3G usage has been in steady decline, now representing less than 2% of data traffic over the EE network,’ but we don’t know for sure how many devices still use 3G – but it could still translate to millions of devices.
Meanwhile, rural areas typically plagued by low phone signal could benefit. By increasing the spectrum available for 5G, phone masts could send a stronger signal across the country and stretch out to further areas.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
