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Articles for Category Tag - 3G

Council Study Sees Positive Impact of Vodafone UK’s 3G Switch Off

16th April, 2024 (37 Comments)

Mobile network analyst firm Streetwave and the Northumberland County Council (NCC) in England have released the findings of an interesting study that monitored the effects of Vodafone’s recent 3G switch-off in the region. The study found this resulted in a small to modest boost in 4G/5G coverage and mobile broadband performance.

A internet net and data digital concept 123RF - 161409908

UK Ranks 5th out of 179 Countries for Mobile Data Affordability

9th April, 2024 (6 Comments)

Comparison site Broadband Genie has today published a new 2024 Mobile Data Affordability Index, which explores the global landscape of mobile data (mobile broadband) pricing and affordability. Overall, the United Kingdom was found to rank 5th most affordable for mobile data out of 179 countries, putting it ahead of “global powerhouses” such as Germany (13th), Italy (20th), the USA (35th) and China (51st).

Vodafone Confirm UK 3G Signals Have Been Shut Down, Almost

27th February, 2024 (16 Comments)

Mobile operator Vodafone has this morning echoed EE’s recent announcement (here) by confirming that they’ve successfully switched-off their 3G mobile (mobile broadband) network across the UK. The related radio frequencies will now be repurposed to strengthen faster 4G and 5G services, but there’s a small catch.

EE Switches Off Final 3G Mobile Network Site in the UK

26th February, 2024 (39 Comments)

Mobile network operator EE (BT) has today published a short progress update on their national work to switch-off the old 3G data (mobile broadband) network, which reveals that the last of 18,000 sites to be shut-down – in Belfast – was finally taken off the air last week.

Survey Claims 2.7 Million UK People Unprepared for 3G Switch Off

4th January, 2024 (39 Comments)

A new Opinium survey of 2,000 UK adults, which was commissioned by Uswitch.com and conducted in late November 2023, has warned that 13% of mobile users still don’t know if their phone is 4G or 5G ready and 5% say they still use a 3G handset.

concept of wireless radio Internet. 5G mobile technologies.

Two Thirds of Councils Still Use Services Reliant on 2G and 3G Mobile

16th December, 2023 (19 Comments)

The Local Government Association, which represents councils across England and Wales, has warned that while the majority of councils are aware of the looming mobile network closures, almost two-thirds of them are still using devices and systems reliant on 2G and 3G connectivity to at least a small extent.

EE UK Update on 3G Mobile Switch Off and 5G Spectrum Refarming

12th December, 2023 (9 Comments)

Mobile network operator EE (BT) has published a short progress update on their national plan and timeline for switching off the old 3G data (mobile broadband) network, which reveals some of the first UK locations that will be benefitting from the re-farming of related 3G spectrum for use by modern 5G services.

Ofcom's mobile_signal_repeater_diagram_uk

Ofcom UK to Soften Mobile Signal Booster Requirements

24th October, 2023 (1 Comment)

The UK telecoms regulator has proposed to soften their requirements for licence exempt indoor “mobile phone repeaters” in order to reflect both the introduction of in-vehicle 5G and the withdrawal of older 2G and 3G networks. Most operators (except O2) expect to close 3G by the end of 2024, while both 2G and 3G must be switched-off by 2033 (here).

7 Million UK Smart Meters At Risk of Connectivity Loss in 2G and 3G Switch Off

23rd October, 2023 (76 Comments)

A new report from the cross-party Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has revealed that an estimated 7 million Smart Meters are at risk of losing data connectivity when the old 2G and 3G mobile communications networks are closed by 2033. But the report doesn’t mention Vodafone’s recent deal to help upgrade the old units.

mobile_network_signal_tower_uk_illustration

UK Ranks 58th in the World for the Price of 1GB of Mobile Data

26th September, 2023 (6 Comments)

A new study has analysed 5,603 mobile data (mobile broadband) plans from across 237 countries in order to compare the cost of a 1GB (GigaByte) data allowance, which reveals that the United Kingdom slightly improved its rank from 59th in 2022 to 58th in 2023, with an average price of USD $0.62 per GB (down from $0.79).

Mobile Operator EE UK Finalises 3G Switch Off Plan and Timeline

18th September, 2023 (12 Comments)

Mobile network operator EE (BT) has published a progress update on their national plan and timeline for switching off the old 3G data (mobile broadband) service, which was successfully trialled in the Cheshire (England) town of Warrington (here) during the summer.

Virgin Media O2 UK Reveals Plan to Switch Off 3G from 2025

7th September, 2023 (37 Comments)

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media / VMO2) has today become the final operator to reveal their plan for switching off the old 3G mobile (mobile broadband) network, which unlike their rivals is a process that won’t actually begin until 2025. The withdrawal will then occur in phases, with completion by the end of that same year.

O2 UK 4G Coverage Map of Horning Norfolk

Signal Woes After O2 UK Shuts Norfolk Mobile Mast Due to MoD Radar

8th August, 2023 (16 Comments)

Customers of mobile operator O2 (VMO2) in the rural Norfolk (England) village of Horning have complained of signal problems after one of the operator’s key mobile masts in the area was disconnected, which was done in order to avoid it causing interference with a new Ministry of Defence (MoD) radar dome.

Local vs Roaming – UK and EU Mobile Broadband Speeds Compared

2nd August, 2023 (10 Comments)

Ookla, which operates the popular internet Speedtest.net benchmarking service, has published the results of an interesting new study that examines how mobile broadband (4G and 5G) performance (i.e. downloads and latency) differs between local vs roaming connectivity across the United Kingdom and European Union.

Ofcom Publish Benchmarks of UK 5G, 4G and 3G Mobile Networks

21st July, 2023 (22 Comments)

Ofcom has published its 2023 Mobile Matters report, which uses Opensignal’s crowdsourced data (collected between 1st October 2022 and 31st March 2023) to benchmark the performance of UK mobile data (mobile broadband) networks by both technology (3G, 4G and 5G) and operator choice – including Three UK, O2, Vodafone and EE.

Clarifying Some Myths Around the UK Shutdown of 3G Mobile

3rd June, 2023 (69 Comments)

In recent weeks the news has been full of reports (e.g. here and here), which frequently warn – without challenge – that the move by Mobile Network Operators (MNO) O2, Three UK, Vodafone and EE to withdraw old 3G services will push “millions of people” into “digital poverty” and disconnect them from the internet. But are they correct?

53% of UK Mobile Users See Average Downloads Below 30Mbps

1st June, 2023 (12 Comments)

New data from mobile benchmarking firm Opensignal has revealed that 53.3% of UK Smartphone users achieve average mobile broadband download speeds below 30Mbps (sub-“superfast” level), while 14% suffer sub-10Mbps downloads and 4.7% of users spend over 5% of their time with no mobile signal at all.