A POPULAR UK mobile provider has issued a last warning to Brits with older phones as it shuts down its 3G service after 20 years.
Customers with devices more than 10 years old may need to upgrade their tech in order to continue to access mobile internet.
Within in the next few weeks, the UK’s biggest mobile phone provider O2, which is part of Virgin Media O2, will completely shut down their 3G network.
Some older phones, along with burglar and care alarms, will not be able to receive 4G and 5G networks, while others may automatically switch over.
This change will only effect customers who use 3G-only devices and they will have already received messages outlining upgrade options.
Only two per cent of O2’s mobile data usage is 3G as it can no longer meet the demands of modern technology.
BILL PAIN
I was overpaying my phone bill by £468 a year due to mistake made by millions
EASY CELL
Major mobile network to let you text & go online with NO phone signal in UK first
Scrapping the service means O2 can reclaim radio spectrum on its wireless networks, allowing it to boost speed and improve 4G and 5G coverage.
O2 explained it had written directly to its customers to inform them and had advised those with incompatible phones on upgrades “at a discounted price”.
However, delays in switching to a newer device with 4G and 5G technology could mean that customers will be left without web services.
Daniel Gale of Gloucestershire Rural Community Council, which has been offering advice to residents on how to contact their suppliers, said the impact “can be a lot wider than people realise” due to the county’s rurality.
“It’s similar to the switchover with the landlines; it’s sometimes a simple add-on, but these processes need to be done to make sure they [users] stay online.”
A spokesperson for O2 said the changes come following an agreement with the government in 2021, and added 4G and 5G networks are “faster, more reliable, and more energy-efficient” than their predecessors.
They added: “Our switch-off began last year, with 3G already withdrawn across a number of regions in the UK, and this older technology will be fully removed in the coming weeks.”
Other providers have also scrapped 3G access in the last few years including Vodafone, EE, and Three.
