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Survey Claims 51% of UK Consumers Unaware of 3G Switch-off

Tuesday, Jan 24th, 2023 (10:50 am) - Score 6,384
mobile network masts four uk 3g 4g 5g

A new Opinium surveyed of 2,000 UK adults, which was commissioned by Uswitch and conducted during December 2022, has claimed that 51% of mobile users are unaware that operators are planning to switch-off 3G based data (mobile broadband) services – starting next month – and 25% say they still use it regularly.

The 3G service, which is around 20 years old, has long since been superseded by 4G and now 5G technologies. But unlike 2G, which will continue to exist until up to 2033 as a fallback technology for low-power data links (IoT / Smart Meters etc.) and rural voice calls, there is little advantage in retaining 3G.

Mobile operators instead intend to phase 3G it out over the next couple of years and re-farm its radio spectrum to boost 4G / 5G data speeds and network coverage. The move will also improve energy efficiency and cut maintenance costs.

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The changes will impact any dependent Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) for the various primary providers (see below), so you won’t be able to escape it by switching to an MVNO on the same physical network.

The Phase Out Plans for 3G Mobile

Vodafone UK will start to phase out 3G next month and aims to complete by December 2023.

Three UK said they’ll be phasing out our 3G network service gradually over the next 2 years and switching it off by the end of 2024.

EE (BT) will this year begin moving customers off 3G rather than switching the network off, but they aim to switch it off in early 2024.

O2 (Virgin Media) informed us that they’ve yet to announce a public sunsetting timeframe, but are supportive of the Government plans to switch off both 2G and 3G by 2033.

However, the move will inevitably cause data connectivity problems for anybody who still relies on a 3G-only device (rare), especially if it doesn’t have the capability to fall back to 2G. According to the new survey, some 25% of respondents said they use 3G “regularly“, while 7% said it’s the only network they can access. But a year ago Vodafone noted that 3G accounted for less than 4% of the data used on their network (down from over 30% in 2016) and it will no doubt be even lower today.

Nevertheless, over 55s were least likely to know about the 3G switch-off, with 61% unaware of the changes, while 40% of those aged 18 to 34 had not heard of the plans. Over half of mobile users in Plymouth (55%) say that they still use 3G, while Newcastle and Sheffield residents were allegedly the most likely to have to tap into the 3G network (70%). But a small survey like this won’t be terribly accurate.

Customers of Tesco Mobile were also found to be the most in the dark about 3G being phased out, with 65% of them saying they didn’t know it was happening. But curiously, Uswitch doesn’t provide the results for any of the other operators (probably due to the small sample size involved). However, context is important here, since Tesco Mobile is an O2 MVNO and they haven’t even announced their plans yet, thus it’s perhaps not surprising that their customers would be in the dark.

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Clearly, mobile operators will need to do a lot more work when it comes to communicating these changes, although the first that many people may learn about it is when they receive an email and text message from their provider. Operators have also committed to support any vulnerable customers that may rely on older handsets, which could include helping them swap to a similar 4G device.

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Mark-Jackson
By Mark Jackson
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook and .
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25 Responses

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  1. Avatar photo Gareth says:

    As much as people slagged it off, it gave way to the speeds we have now. I remember back when they switched it on and getting something like 200-300Kbps speeds 🙂 and gradually through the noughties it surpassed 1Mbps then 3.8Mb, 7.2Mbps….

    I can get 800Mbps now on Smarty near my house. Unbelievable how fast mobile is getting considering how long it took landline providers to hit similar speeds.

    1. Mark-Jackson Mark Jackson says:

      HSPA was indeed a high point of 3G.

    2. Avatar photo Gareth says:

      Indeed it was 🙂

    3. Avatar photo Sam P says:

      I often get 5G speeds faster than my Gigabit at home. Absolutely amazing advancements

  2. Avatar photo Sam says:

    I wish O2 would tell us whats happening with them.. Slow as per usual.

  3. Avatar photo The Facts says:

    Most people have no idea what ‘G’ they are using and are not interested. Do 25% know they are using it?

  4. Avatar photo Dave says:

    Well when o2 turn it off, they may as well switch their whole network off as my phone seems to spend more time connected to 3G than both 4G and 5G. Absolutely terrible network.

  5. Avatar photo Mml says:

    Most phones these days try defaulting to 4G over 3G, even if the 4G signal is worse. So whenever I have the chance, I change the settings to prefer 3G, as I’m more likely to get full signal when on 3G.

    1. Avatar photo GreenLantern22 says:

      I do this all the time often find that 3G works much better than 4G. This tends to happen on crowded places like train stations, stadiums, etc where 4G might over saturated. So it’s probably not that 3G is better than 4G but that most phones are defaulting to 4G or ever 5G now and 3G bands are rarely used. So once I buy my next iPhone which will have 5G I will play the same game again with 4G and 5G. However I never understood why the iPhone can’t be monitoring the current selected signal and take action when data is not working so it can switch to a different bsnd.

    2. Avatar photo Sam P says:

      My Xiaomi Mi 11 doesn’t allow me to select 3G anymore. It sucks as I know of a few spots where 4G doesnt work yet 3G does. But I can’t use it.

  6. Avatar photo Tim Higgs says:

    Interesting that Vodafone have the earliest date yet are the furthest behind with 4G and haven’t deployed 5G on a large scale.

  7. Avatar photo Kevin Reader says:

    That’ll be another batch of phones off to landfill then…

    Hopefully it’s a small percentage with 3G max, but throw in those with ropey 4G and it could be more. Also things like my “emergency broadband” 3G usb stick will also be consigned to a bin. I struggled to even find a 4G stick on sale a couple of years ago.

  8. Avatar photo Ad47uk says:

    I am not surprised at all that people don’t know, very little have been said, the same thing is happening with voice telephone
    This country is usless at communicating, unless they are using scare tactics, I am shocked they got Analogue TV switch off right

  9. Avatar photo 5G_Infinity says:

    Owners of older cars with connected dashboards and satnavs should also worry, they will lose connectivity and thus lose info updates such traffic on their satnav.

    1. Avatar photo Uurgh, BMW says:

      Yup, my less than 5 year old BMW only has 3G, so will loose a few features soon. Uurgh.

    2. Avatar photo Sam P says:

      Why did BMW fit a 3G modem in a 2018 model?!

    3. Avatar photo NE555 says:

      On the plus side, it will make your car harder to hack into. At least, the attacker will have to be within sight of it.

  10. Avatar photo Michael says:

    We cannot get any mobile signal inside and we are only 10 miles from a major midland city.
    Outside maybe one bar 2G or 3G if the winds in the right direction and it’s a leap year.

  11. Avatar photo WonkoTheSaneUK says:

    @Sam P – Because 3G modems were €0.000001 cheaper per car in 2018. The price has fallen even further since.

  12. Avatar photo Michael V says:

    I don’t think it’s a concern, the MMOs will let their customers know. EE and Vodafone users who have 3g phone will just have to use voice over 2g of they choose not to upgrade.
    If they have 4g device that doesn’t support VoLTE then their phones will fall back to 2g for calls & sit on 4g for data.
    Three users will have to upgrade ‘cos there’s no 2g to fall back to.
    People have had plenty of time to get a 4g device & the MNOs will help them transition.

  13. Avatar photo Kevin caley says:

    Please can you make it clear, you imply that the switch off applies to ‘data’ but does that also include voice and text messages? I know several (luddites!) Who refuse to give up the simple phone they use only for calls & texts. Will they work with 2G?

    1. Avatar photo Michael V says:

      Hey Kevin. So the 3g network will be gone completely. No voice and no data.
      So the 3g only phones will use 2g for voice, data will take some time to load on a 2g network if it’s just a simple webpage.
      Those who only use voice & text will be fine as phones on EE, Vodafone, O2 will use 2g, if they don’t have a 4g device.
      Hope that helps.

  14. Avatar photo Michael V says:

    If someone is on Three with a 3G phone then they won’t have a 2g network to fall back on as Three has never had a 2G network. So they will have to upgrade.

  15. Avatar photo Jon says:

    Quality of coverage is largely dictated by the frequency bands in use, not the technology.

    3G has issues with contraction under load, unlike 4G & 5G.

  16. Avatar photo Michael V says:

    If someone lives in a place with no 4G, only 3G, then they won’t be left without coverage. The site will be replaced with a new mast with the 4G bands needed for that area.
    I’ve seen many comments over the months complaining & having concerns.

Comments are closed

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