3G networks are shutting down in 2022 — how it impacts you
3G networks are shutting down in 2022 — how it impacts you
3G is nearly to take its final bow. The wireless networking standard that ushered in the smartphone era is getting close downward in 2022, as carriers wait to build up more current technologies.
That means devices that still rely on 3G — from smartphones to tablets to alarm systems — won't be able to connect anymore once carriers pull the plug on 3G. Just the good news is this shutdown has been a long fourth dimension coming, giving carriers and device makers plenty of time to ensure a smooth transition.
Here's what y'all need to know nigh the 3G shutdown and how it could bear on you.
What is happening with 3G networks?
3G Network Shutdown Dates
AT&T: February 2022
T-Mobile: March 2022 (Dart); July 2022 (T-Mobile)
Verizon: December. 31, 2022
All the major wireless carriers in the U.S. are planning on shutting down their 3G networks in 2022, though some carriers are flicking the off switch sooner than others.
AT&T is first up, planning to turn off 3G in February. T-Mobile will first close down Dart's 3G network on March 31 — remember, the 2 carriers accept merged with T-Mobile absorbing Sprint'south customers — and T-Mobile's own 3G network is targeted for a July shutdown.
Verizon has pushed back its 3G shutdown date earlier, just as of December 31, 2022, the carrier claims its 3G coverage will be no more.
Go along in mind this doesn't just impact customers of those specific carriers. MVNOs, which turn to the networks of larger carriers to provide their wireless coverage, will lose access to 3G in one case the parent network shuts it down. So if you're a customer of Cricket Wireless, yous won't be able to access AT&T's 3G network after information technology shuts downwards in February.
Why are carriers shutting down their 5G networks?
There are efficiencies to be gained past non running three different networks. Simply, really, information technology comes down to spectrum.
— Jason Leigh, IDC
There are a couple reasons why carriers are ready to pull the plug on 3G, and the first comes down to progress. Commercial 4G networks showtime went live in 2009, and 5G followed a decade later. Throw in 3G, and that's a lot of dissimilar networks to keep up and running.
"There are efficiencies to be gained by not running three different networks," said Jason Leigh, research manager for mobility at IDC. "But really, it comes down to spectrum."
In other words, 3G connectivity uses parts of the wireless spectrum. If carriers no longer take to support their aging 3G networks, they can then reallocate that spectrum to other forms of connectivity.
"They demand that spectrum they're using for 3G for more than advanced services, for 4G and 5G," agreed Bill Menezes, a director analyst at market place research firm Gartner.
3G uses low- and mid-band spectrum to keep devices continued. That's especially valuable real estate, as that spectrum can travel greater distances than high-band spectrum and accept an easily time penetrating buildings. That'due south been an area where 5G has fallen brusque, and so carriers are likely to utilize that freed-up 3G spectrum to improve the attain of their growing 5G networks.
What phones will be afflicted past the 3G shutdown?
Most phones released in the past few years will work but fine afterwards 3G networks go abroad. The key is to have a handset that supports voice over LTE, which would certainly cover whatever recently released phone as this has been the standard for a while.
Devices Impacted by the 3G Shutdown
• iPhone 5
• iPhone 5s
• iPhone 5c
• Samsung Galaxy S4
• Samsung Galaxy S Three
• iPad 2
Equally an example, Leigh notes that Verizon stopped certifying 3G devices in 2018. That's three years agone, giving people plenty of time to upgrade to more than modern equipment capable of connecting to LTE networks.
Still, while the number of phones affected isn't large, it's not an insignificant effigy. Menezes cited a figure from AT&T back in September where the carrier said that 2.7% of its customers would be impacted by the 3G shutdown. With more than 195 million customers at the end of September, that would translate to around 5 million people.
Because carriers have known about this transition for a while, they've likely been in contact with customers whose phones volition stop connecting to 3G at some betoken in 2022. Customers of the respective carriers can observe information pages from AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. (The latter carrier also has information for old Sprint customers.)
The biggest impact may be on depression-income household which don't have the means to upgrade to new phones at the drop of the hat. However, the Federal Communications Committee offers a Lifeline service that provides discounts on telephone service for some low-income consumers. At that place'southward more than information on that program on the FCC'south own web folio explaining the 3G network shutdown.
Other phones impacted may not necessarily be ones used for everyday connectivity. Leigh notes that his father keeps an quondam flip phone in the glove compartment of his car to stay connected; that backup phone will likely need to be replaced earlier 3G goes away.
Are there any other devices that are going to be affected?
My guess is the minority of [affected 3G devices] are handheld phones. Nearly are internet-of-things devices.
— Bill Menezes, Gartner
The 3G shutdown affects more than but phones. Other devices make apply of 3G connectivity, too, and because they're not upgraded as often as phones are, the impact of 3G networks being turned off will be more astute.
"My guess is the minority of [affected 3G devices] are handheld phones," Menezes said. " Most are internet-of-things devices."
Specifically, connected devices ranging from automobile navigation systems to abode security systems to medical equipment all rely on 3G. So do older tablets and e-readers that offer cellular connectivity — once again, not the sort of devices you're likely to update with the frequency of smartphones.
There'southward a practiced news/bad news aspect to connected devices that rely on 3G. The bad news is that the burden likely falls on you to contact service providers to see if impacted devices are upgradeable. But on the brilliant side, those service providers and device makers take known well in advance that this shutdown was coming.
"They've known about this for years, so I imagine they've been working on it," Menezes said.
One possible exception may exist makers of alarm systems who sounded alarms of their own this twelvemonth that COVID-19 pandemic had slowed down their ability to go into homes and brand sure that systems were updated. Again, that's something yous'll need to bank check with your dwelling security service prior to the 3G shutdown.
Is 3G also shutting down in other parts of the globe?
The U.Southward. is really several years ahead of the rest of the world in sunsetting its 3G network, IDC's Leigh said. That could create some awkward situations for travelers from overseas who might be expecting to bring their 3G phones on trips to the U.S. and pop in a local SIM card. Once the 3G networks are turned off, those phones won't work in this country.
Equally for other parts of the world, in the U.K., wireless carriers EE and BT are both targeting 2023 to turn off their 3G networks. The British regime is aiming to have eliminated both 2G and 3G by 2033 at the latest.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/3g-networks-are-shutting-down-next-year-how-it-impacts-you
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