{"id":34490,"date":"2023-06-03T00:01:31","date_gmt":"2023-06-02T23:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=34490"},"modified":"2023-06-03T06:33:13","modified_gmt":"2023-06-03T05:33:13","slug":"clarifying-some-myths-around-the-uk-shutdown-of-3g-mobile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2023\/06\/clarifying-some-myths-around-the-uk-shutdown-of-3g-mobile.html","title":{"rendered":"Clarifying Some Myths Around the UK Shutdown of 3G Mobile"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

By technology standards, 3G<\/a> is positively ancient and has long since been superseded by two further generations of mobile technology – 4G<\/a> and 5G<\/a>, with 6G looming on the horizon. The first operator to start withdrawing the service, Vodafone<\/a>, has been using it for 18 long years and in January 2022 related data traffic across their network accounted for just 4% (down from over 30% in 2016).<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> 4G<\/a> is already available to over 99% of the UK’s population outdoors (here<\/a>), but this falls to 80-87% for geographic coverage. One key point here is that basic geographic voice and data (2G) cover is only a little better at 85-93%.<\/div>\n

The government and all major mobile operators have already agreed to phase-out existing 2G and 3G<\/a> signals by 2033 (here<\/a>). The main reason why 3G is going first is that there are so few critically 3G dependent devices and services left in circulation, partly because the technology – bogged down as it was by overpriced spectrum licensing – never quite took off like 4G<\/a> did.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, 2G remains useful as a low-power fallback for basic voice services (as well as very limited data \/ IoT requirements) and is still widely used by particular applications, such as some home energy monitoring Smart Meters<\/strong> and various other solutions (i.e. it’ll be sticking around for a lot longer).<\/p>\n

3G Phase Out Plans by Operator<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u27a4 Vodafone<\/a> UK has technically already started to phase out 3G and aims to complete by December 2023.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 Three UK<\/a> said they\u2019ll be phasing out their 3G network service gradually over the next 2 years and switching it off by the end of 2024.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 EE<\/a> (BT<\/a>) will this year begin moving customers off 3G rather than switching the network off, but they aim to switch it off in early 2024.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 O2<\/a> (Virgin Media<\/a>) informed us that they\u2019ve yet to announce a public sunsetting timeframe, but are supportive of the Government plans to switch off both 2G and 3G by 2033.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

However, a fair few recent news reports have suggested that the move to withdraw 3G services is a negative development, with some even warning that it could leave “millions<\/em>” of people disconnected from the internet. Often these claims have gone unchallenged and risk causing fear, as well as confusion, where none need exist.<\/p>\n

Myth Busting the 3G Shutdown<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u27a4 Some reports highlight complaints from consumers who live in weak 4G signal areas, which causes their handset to fall back to 3G. Such people tend to expect that switching off 3G would thus leave them disconnected from mobile data, which would indeed be a particularly big problem if local fixed line broadband is similarly poor or non-existent.<\/p>\n

However, this overlooks the fact that operators will be switching the spectrum that 3G uses and re-farming it to 4G or 5G<\/a> services, which means that those in the above situation should find that 4G coverage, and thus mobile broadband speeds too, actually improve to compensate.<\/p>\n

The catch is that different operators have different approaches for different areas, thus there’s still the possibility of some people being caught out if operators fail (in some areas) to correctly balance or prepare coverage when the change occurs, but the goal of all operators is to minimise that. We asked all of the operators about this and got the following responses.<\/p>\n

– Vodafone<\/a><\/strong> said part of their 3G switch off activity includes optimising their 4G and 5G<\/a> networks, and they’ve already started to re-farm some of the 3G spectrum. The operator has also been in contact with customers who will be impacted by such issues. “By repurposing 3G network \u2013 we can grow the UK-wide reach of our more energy efficient 4G and 5G networks instead – this means faster data speeds, higher quality voice call services and a chance to continue improving connectivity in previously \u2018cut-off\u2019 areas, including rural communities and the London Underground<\/em>,” added the operator.<\/p>\n

– Three UK<\/a><\/strong> noted that just 3% of their network traffic was 3G and customers could expect “faster downloads, better quality streaming and a more reliable experience<\/em>” when it’s switched-off. “Retiring 3G enables us to repurpose network assets where our customer need them (4&5G) … this plan has been carefully developed by our network teams to ensure that it benefits our customers<\/em>,” said a spokesperson for the operator.<\/p>\n

Three added that they were also upgrading many of their legacy 3G sites and repurposing them onto newer technologies ahead of the switch-off. Many of the sites that offer a 3G service already have 4G equipment on them, so they suggest there will be “no impact to customers with a compatible handset<\/em>“.<\/p>\n

– EE<\/a> (BT<\/a>)<\/strong> confirmed that spectrum used for 3G would be re-farmed for 4G and 5G, but they added that this will be a process that happens over time (i.e. it won\u2019t be immediate on the same site). The operator will focus early reuse of it in areas of the greatest need (sites more congested, or areas at risk of congestion), which mirrors how they operated with 15MHz of the 2100MHz band that has already been refarmed from 3G. To date, this has happened across around 20% of their sites and they’re more than doubling that (to just under 50% of all sites) by end of 2024.<\/p>\n

The operator noted that, in areas with both 3G and 4G, the 3G service generally doesn’t expand the reach of the site beyond what existing 4G services can do and so it’s mostly about ensuring that 4G has enough capacity to cope when the 3G switch-off occurs. If more work is needed on spectrum, then EE expects their tools to help identify that so they can, as above, prioritise such areas.<\/p>\n

One other reason why they can’t immediately re-ferm the 3G spectrum is because it may first require them to have completed their network refresh work in the area (i.e. refreshing their 4G and replacing some 5G vendor equipment). Once that work is completed, then it becomes easier to utilise the remaining 5MHz of 3G. Some sites can be upgraded remotely, but others will require a physical visit due to site configuration issues. On sites yet to be modernised, EE aren\u2019t yet in a position to refarm the spectrum, so that will happen over time.<\/p>\n

– O2<\/a> (VMO2)<\/strong> didn’t provide a clear answer because they’ve yet to publish any plans for switching off 3G services.<\/p>\n

One other important point to make here is that a weak 4G signal can still be better than a strong 3G one (i.e. how many signal “bars<\/em>” you see on your handset doesn’t always reflect capability). As a side note, the \u00a31bn industry-led Shared Rural Network<\/a> (SRN) project is working to bring 4G to 95% of the UK (geographic coverage) by the end of 2025, so mobile coverage and performance is only going to get better.<\/p>\n

\u27a4 The Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) recently warned that “older and basic devices do not have 4G capabilities, so individuals who can only get online using a basic device will fall into digital poverty<\/em>.” But this isn’t entirely accurate.<\/p>\n

Basic 4G capable feature phones have been on sale for many years (my mother has been using one for 5-6 years) and these tend to cost around \u00a320-\u00a350 outside of a contract (e.g. Nokia 110<\/strong><\/a> – \u00a335 or less on eBay). Similarly, some operators will practically bundle them for free with their cheapest plans, and indeed they’ve often handed such devices out to vulnerable users at no extra cost upon request. Not to mention that some charities are giving them away.<\/p>\n

Suffice to say, yes lots of basic devices do exist that support 4G and those in poverty who are worried should look around, as there are various examples of sub-\u00a310 per month plans that bundle cheap 4G mobiles. Failing that, give your mobile operator a call to seek help and they’ll often have no trouble finding you a solution.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now admittedly, some people may still be caught out by the switch-off due to unique edge cases or other quirky issues (e.g. some handsets are better at signal reception than others), but this is only likely to impact a tiny minority of consumers – assuming the operators have put enough time, money and effort into planning the switch-off properly (we’ll find out soon enough).<\/p>\n

The other issue is that not all 4G handsets can make calls over the same generation of network technology, so it will help if you ensure that the handset you’re using supports Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE<\/strong>) – this is common today, but some of the older handsets didn’t support it.<\/p>\n

In addition, a lot of more modern 4G handsets also support Wi-Fi Calling<\/strong>, which is handy if you do have a home broadband connection, although this is only useful indoors and isn’t as common on basic feature phones. But one catch with both Wi-Fi Calling and VoLTE is that quality and support can vary between both operators and devices (e.g. Google Pixel handsets seem to struggle with VoLTE and Wi-Fi Calling on certain operators).<\/p>\n

However, in most cases the issue of making calls and texts will be less relevant, since 3G\/4G handsets tend to fall back to 2G for that when they can’t use the more modern generations. Meanwhile, consumers who do find themselves losing internet connectivity during the 3G switch-off, if using a 4G phone, should consider switching mobile operator as they all have different coverage strengths and weaknesses, which will vary between sites.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, the 3G switch-off should perhaps be considered more of an upgrade than a downgrade for mobile connectivity. But some people will still have problems, yet in most cases those with issues should be able to find a solution that works.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[62,61,406,474,405,60,32,63,475,96],"class_list":["post-34490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk_isp_news","tag-3g","tag-4g","tag-5g","tag-bt","tag-ee","tag-mobile-broadband","tag-o2","tag-three-uk","tag-virgin-media","tag-vodafone"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"yoast_head":"\nClarifying Some Myths Around the UK Shutdown of 3G Mobile - ISPreview UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"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\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2023\/06\/clarifying-some-myths-around-the-uk-shutdown-of-3g-mobile.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Clarifying Some Myths Around the UK Shutdown of 3G Mobile - 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