2G / 3G Network Shutdown Status and Challenges

Mobile Network operators shutting down 3G and in some cases, 2G has been a long time coming. Operators across the world have either already shut down their 2G and 3G or planning to do so in the near future. Up until now, we had several new technologies co-existing with legacy technologies, but it is becoming more complex for Carriers to manage and manufacturers to support.

According to GSAs latest report July 2024 ,192 operators in 68 countries and territories have completed, planned, or are in the process of switching off their 2G and 3G networks. Of those 93 operators across 52 countries have either completed or planned 2G switch-offs, and 96 operators across 46 countries have either completed, planned, or are in the process of closing 3G.

Back in October 2022, we reported that 142 operators in 56 countries have either completed, planned, or are in progress with 2G/3G switch offs according to Global Mobile Suppliers Association 2022. Of those 51 operators have been completed already, 97 are planned, and 8 are in progress.

So in less than 2 years, there has been a lot of progress in 2G/3G Network Shutdown.

Europe seems to lead in the number of switch-offs, followed by Asia and North America, although its share has decreased since December 2023.

As legacy technologies are sunset operators continue with their upgrades to both 4G and 5G technology. According to GSA 9.7% will be upgrading to LTE only;

7.6% will be moving to 5G, the same proportion to 3G and LTE; and 1.2% will be upgrading to 3G, 4G, and 5G.

Source: 2024 Global Mobile Suppliers Association

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Global Picture for 2G

Source 2024 Global Mobile Suppliers Association

Global Picture for 3G

Source 2024 Global Mobile Suppliers Association

In Europe, 3G is expected to be switched off before 2G. Around 19 operators are planning to switch off their 3G Network by 2025 and around eight operators are planning to switch off their 2G network by 2025. June 2021 brought the shutdown of 3G in two operators in Germany Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom. Telefonica is also expected to shut down 3G by the end of 2021. In other countries, Telia will look to close 3G in all their countries between 2022 and 2025 and EE will be the first UK network to announce the shutdown of 3G. A detailed breakdown is available in the table below.

For Asia, 2G in countries like Japan was phased out a long time ago. The trend will continue with other countries and operators. A detailed breakdown is available.

The Americas especially the US is shutting down 2G networks on an accelerated scale. 3G Network will be shut down by all main operators by 2022. Around 15 operators in 7 countries have announced the closure of 2G by the end of 2025. A detailed breakdown is available in the table below.

For Oceania, 2G is almost phased out. In Australia all 3 operators have shut down their 2G by the end of 2018 and 3G is on the way with Telstra the only one announcing a timeline for the end of 2024.A detailed breakdown is available in the table below.

Africa is the only region where no 2G or 3G shutdowns have been announced so far but it will be part of future planning once newer technologies penetrate more.

A detailed breakdown is available.

What 2G/ 3G shutdowns will mean for end-users?

This will force/encourage people to upgrade their phones to 4G. Many Operators seem to suggest that 2G in Europe will be around until 2030 and this is mainly due to implications of the M2M and IoT applications. In particular, the EU-mandated eCall, where long term agreements are in place, will need to be supported by the 2G technology before the work towards migration to IMS voice is fully completed.

There are several drivers behind this change.

1. Reuse of frequencies for new technology deployments like 4G and 5G. Most 2G use 850, 900, 1,800 or 1,900 MHz frequency bands. The sub-1 GHz bands, are very valuable due to their propagation characteristics, especially delivering greater coverage and in-building penetration.

2. Reduce costs and effort in maintaining legacy radio networks

3. Lower the energy consumption of the network. Vodafone New Zealand has announced back in 2019 that they are expecting around 10% savings in power consumption from migrating away from 2G and 3G technologies.

4. Simplify the network operation

This 2G and 3G network closure change are bringing several challenges to device manufacturers, Carriers/Mobile Network Operators and Mobile Virtual Network Operators.

What will this mean for Smartphone Manufacturers?

IMS (VoLTE & VoWiFi) will need to now be enabled by default on all devices. This will add additional testing requirements to ensure smooth interoperability on all networks to enable end-users to benefit from the latest technology and not rely on legacy technology. Testing on Roaming conditions should also be taken into account to ensure end-users Quality of Experience when using data or voice services.

What will this mean for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)?

MNOs will significantly reduce some of the operational costs by the 2G/3G shutdown, but they will need to ensure they have substantial capacity and coverage for new technology like VoLTE. It will cause a major impact on the Quality of Experience and brand loyalty if end users cannot use VoLTE in areas where there is no longer 3G coverage and have to rely on 2G voice. This will have a very negative impact on the user experience.

To ensure a smooth transition Quality of Service should be maintained during and after the transition. MNOs will need to enhance their IMS voice and ensure the service is available for all their customers under post-paid and prepaid in-home network or roaming conditions.

What will this mean for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs)?

MVNOs are expected to be majorly affected by legacy networks shut down. Dish US MVNO highlighted in early March 2021 that the T-Mobile US legacy CDMA network shutdown will cause significant disruption and they will need to accelerate efforts and invest more heavily for an earlier than expected upgrade.

MVNOs across the world will need to ensure upgrades and IMS support (VoLTE/VoWiFi) including on home and roaming conditions. For some, the new SIMS will be required as well as available devices that support IMS functionality.

Countries/Territories with VoLTE Service

Status of European Network 2G/3G ShutdownsC

​Country	Network Operator	2G	3G
Albania	Vodafone	By end 2025	Closed 2022
Austria	A1		By end 2025
Austria	T-Mobile		By end 2024
​Belgium	Orange	By end 2030	By end 2025
Belgium	Telenet		By end 2024
Bulgaria	A1		By end 2025
​Croatia	T-Mobile		Closed 2022
Czech Republic	T-Mobile	By end 2025	Closed 2021
Czech Republic	Vodafone	By end 2025	Closed 2021
Czech Republic	O2	By end 2025	Closed 2021
Denmark	Telenor	By end 2025	Closed 2022
Denmark	Hi3G	No Service	By the end 2025
Denmark	Telia	​By end 2025	Started 2021/By end of 2025
Denmark	TDC		By end 2023
Estonia	Telia	By end 2025	By end 2023
Estonia	Elisa		No update yet
Finland	Elisa		By end 2023
Finland	Telia	By end 2025	By end 2023
Finland	DNA	By end 2025	By end 2023
France	Orange	By end 2025	By end 2028
France	SFR	By end 2023
France	Bougues Telecom		No update

Country	Network Operator	2G	3G
Germany	Vodafone	By end 2025	Closed 2021
Germany	Telefonica		Closed 2021
Germany	Deutsche Telekom		Closed Jun 2021
Greece	Wind		By end 2022
Greece	Cosmote		Closed 2022
Greece	Vodafone	By end 2025	By end 2022
Hungary	T-Mobile
Hungary	Vodafone	By end 2025	Closed 2022
Ireland	Vodafone	By end 2025	By end 2023
Ireland	Three		By end 2023
Italy	TIM		By end 2022
Italy	Vodafone	By end 2025	Closed 2021
Latvia	Latvijas Mobilais Telefons		By end 2022
Latvia	Tele2	By end 2025	By end 2022
Latvia	Telia		By end 2022
Lithuania	Telia	By end 2025	By end 2022
Lithuania	Bite	By end 2028	By end 2025
Luxembourg	Orange	By end 2030	By end 2025
Luxembourg	Post		Q3 2022
Malta	EPIC	By end 2025

Country	Network Operator	2G	3G
​Netherlands	​KPN		Closed Mar 2022
Netherlands	Vodafone	By end 2025	Closed Feb 2020
Norway	Telenor	By end 2025	By end 2021
Norway	Telia	By end 2025	Closed Dec 2021
Poland	T-Mobile	By end 2025	By end 2023
​Portugal	Vodafone	By end 2025	By end 2023
​Romania	Vodafone	By end 2025
​Russia	Tele2		By end 2025
​Slovakia	Telekom		By end 2021
Spain	Orange	By end 2030	By end 2025
​Spain	Telefonica		By end 2025
​Spain	Vodafone	By end 2025
​​Sweden	Tele2	By end 2025	By end 2023
​Sweden	Telia	By end 2025	By end 2023
​Sweden	Telenor	By end 2025	By end 2025
Switzerland	Sunrise	By end 2021	By end 2024
​Switzerland	Swisscom	Closed 2021	By end 2025
Switzerland	Salt	Closed 2022

Country	Network Operator	2G	3G
United Kingdom	EE	By end 2029	By end 2024
United Kingdom	Vodafone	By end 2026	By end 2023
United Kingdom	3	-	By end 2024
United Kingdom	O2	By end 2033	By end 2033
United Kingdom	BT	By end 2024	By end 2023

Status of North America Network 2G/3G Shutdowns

Country	Network Operator	2G	3G
US	AT&T	Closed in 2017	Closed 2022
US	Sprint	Closed 2021	By 31st March 2022
US	T-Mobile	Closed 2020	By 1st of July 2022
US	Verizon	Closed 2020	By end 2022
Canada	Rogers	Closed 2021
Canada	SaskTel	Closed 2017

Status of Oceania Network 2G/3G Shutdowns

Country	Network Operator	2G	3G
Australia	Telstra	Closed 2017	By end 2024
Australia	Optus	Closed 2017	By end 2023
​Australia	Vodafone	Closed 2018
New Zealand	Vodafone	By end 2025
New Zealand	NZLNH		Closed 2018

Please note that data has been collected during July 2024 from various sources and is subject to change based on each Mobile Network Operator's schedule and timelines.

3G

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How can SmartViser Help?

OPTION 1 - Test Automation

Empower your team with the Test Automation Solution viSer to ensure superior Quality of Service QoS and Quality of Experience QoE.

Test all key functions like VoLTE, VoWiFi, Data throughput, Audio MOS, Battery performance etc in live network or roaming conditions:

OPTION 2 - Test Services

Testing as a Service. Send us your devices in one or multiple locations across Europe. You no longer need to arrange and schedule travel for your staff. We can propose Network Test interoperability and test VoLTE/VoWiFi across any network in Europe.

Our team of expert Test Engineers will provide logs to help the speedy resolution of issues and the test automation viSer will ensure greater testing scope in shorter times.

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Susie Siouti is the Chief Commercial Officer for SmartViser helping organisations in the Telecommunications industry offer superior end-user quality of experience and service with the introduction of innovative test automation products. Susie has 20 years of experience in the Telecoms industry and in that time has led teams across the world mainly in Testing and Compliance. Holding an MBA from Henley Business School brings a diverse set of skills and expertise, including business acumen, strategic thinking, financial management, sales and marketing expertise, leadership, and innovation.

Susie joined SmartViser in 2016, is part of the internal steering committee, responsible for developing and implementing the company's commercial strategy and encouraging a customer-centric culture. The main mission is to help organizations to create value by offering better quality products and services by improving operational efficiency and innovation.