A MAJOR mobile phone network has announced it is to shut a long-running service for users from today.
Mobile usage has skyrocketed in recent years, with data traffic more than doubling over the past five years – making upgrades like this increasingly essential.
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The switch off means customers will be unable to connect to internet-connected apps while out and about.
Today is the next phase of O2’s plan to ditch the 3G service across the UK.
The service was a game-changer for smartphones when it was introduced in the UK in 2023.
O2 customers have been warned for months that the shutdown is coming – with another part of the country feeling the effects today.
It is not only customers of O2 in certain areas of the UK who will have no 3G service after the shutdown.
The change will also affect Tesco Mobile, GiffGaff and Sky Mobile, which rely on O2’s network technology.
The first place O2 ended 3G was across the City of Durham back in April, with Durham, Norwich, Telford, Guildford and Torquay following.
It is now the turn of Watford, which loses 3G from today.
The move is designed to allow O2 to focus on improving its 4G and 5G services across the country.
The move will leave some users with no data to go online and check their favourite apps such as WhatsApp or Instagram when they’re not connected to Wi-Fi.
Network boost
It comes just weeks after mobile customers benefited from a free network boost – just hours after a major service was switched off.
In July, O2 (Virgin Media) revealed it had upgraded its 4G and 5G coverage across more than 2,000 postcodes in Coventry, West Midlands.
The improvements are part of the company’s £700million Mobile Transformation Plan, aimed at future-proofing the network and keeping pace with soaring demand.
O2 says the upgrades will give users better connectivity and faster mobile.
A spokesperson said the plan ensures the network is “fit for the future and can keep up with increasing customer demand”.
The free upgrade comes as mobile providers, including O2, continue to phase out older 3G services across the UK.
