Vodafone UK to Switch-Off 3G Mobile Network Within 2-3 Years

Vodafone has quietly become the first UK provider to confirm that it will be “switching off 3G” services within the “next two to three years,” although we fully expect that EE, O2 and Three UK will eventually do something similar as they convert 3G spectrum to 4G or 5G. But 2G voice will remain as a useful low-power fall back.

The move is somewhat inevitable because there isn’t much reason for 3G mobile services to hog spectrum now that 4G is nearly mature with similar coverage (does the same job only better and faster), although switching it off will of course cause data connectivity problems for anybody who still relies on a 3G-only supporting Smartphone or Mobile Broadband router (there are plenty of cheap 4G alternatives but some will no doubt resent any kind of forced upgrade).

Nevertheless such a major platform migration will not be easy for the operator either as nobody wants to disconnect active 3G-only using customers, although there are only a tiny number of those left. Past a certain point it doesn’t make economic sense to keep the 3G spectrum alive when it could be put to far better use within 4G or 5G environments. Meanwhile older 2G spectrum will still have a role to play.

Andrea Dona, Head of Vodafone’s UK Mobile Network, said (Pocket Lint):

“2G will have a longer lifetime, a longer role to play, especially when it comes to the Internet of Things [like smart meters, for example] where you actually don’t need speed, you don’t need the capacity, you just need it to be ticking away in the background with low power…it doesn’t make economic sense to go out and change these devices.”

Rival operator Three UK today also confirmed that, as part of on-going 4G upgrades they will also be “converting 3G spectrum to 4G.” Refarming or converting spectrum for use with more modern platforms has now become a fairly normal practice within the industry as technology evolves, although as above it remains a complicated thing to do without disrupting end-users and requires a lot of planning.