Mobile Networks have started shutting down 3G services

Posted 11th May 2023

bbc.co.uk/new…865

So Vodafone have started the ball rolling, with other providers to follow suit in turning off 3G

To me this is flipping nuts…
-I live in London (on Vodafone) and even here sometimes phone switches to 3G as it’s the only signal it can pick up so will potentially leave those that live in rural areas where there’s no 4g let alone 5g with no service
-Will create hundreds of tons of e waste as hundreds of thousands of phones will no longer work
-Elderly people (like my mother) and others only have a 3G phone meaning having to buy a new phone.
-This just seems to me like a plan to make people buy new phones as sales have been decreasing as people hold onto their phones for longer now
-The claim that shutting it down is to help increase bandwidth for 5g to me seems fishy as 5g runs off totally different mobile towers (which even in London is super patchy)
Call me a conspiracy theorist but this just smacks of making money and again the consumer getting stuffed….

Wondered how others felt especially those who can’t even get 4g coverage!

31 Comments

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The2Time
11th May
You'd think they would get their 4G coverage universal before cutting off the only avilable service in some places.

Why don't they just convert the 3g masts into 4g?
KodaBear
12th May
Before a 3G mast goes dark, 4G will be switched on at that location. Though due to different frequencies, power levels and such they broadcast at, you may not find the signal is exactly the same… Additionally if you’re on a piggyback network (For example Plusnet Mobile who piggyback on EE) you only get access to half of their 4G Network meaning you will encounter black spots where an EE customer themselves would have 4G.

They are actually converting 3G masts to 4G though. To answer your question. All of them are unless there’s an obvious overlap of signal from another nearby cell tower, or there’s good 2G available with immediate plans to install 4G at a better location nearby.
KodaBear
12th May
While everyone is complaining about the lack of notice here - It’s important to note that anyone who is actually affected by this change is being given plenty of notice. For example me as a T-Mobile 3G customer have been contacted by EE to let me know of the closure. A family member who has a 3G phone on the Three network was sent a text at the start of the year letting them know they had the next year to make arrangements to upgrade etc.

Anyone who hasn’t been contacted either has a phone capable of receiving 4G, is capable of using 2G and doesn’t use data, or is with the o2 network or related brand who aren’t switching off 3G yet.
senukas
12th May
Same here, EE informed me last November about the 3G switch off. This should have happened in January but was postponed until June. My old T-Mobile plan (glitch deal from 2013, suposed to be free for 12 months but stayed free after) was upgraded to £1/month for unlimited data, calls, texts + free EU roaming for 24 months.
I will not complain 🤫
JGiles Author
11th May
Vodafone’s official announcement. They’re starting turning off 3G from June, doesn’t seem like much notice to me
vodafone.co.uk/hel…off

Vodafone recon it’s to save the planet by helping them reach net zero

nationalworld.com/lif…409 (edited)
sm9690
11th May
It was announced back in early 2022.
jase.2
12th May
Id hate to see what 3 will look like when they turn 3G off

3 at my home town is usually decent but recently I’ve worked away a lot and in places like Bournemouth and in London it is dismal - Luton airport last night in or outside the building 1 bar of 4G which was totally unusable
bhaskarsa
13th May
at Luton airport, you can connect to the free wifi ?
aLV426
12th May
That's a good heads up - I should start selling off all my 3G dongles now!
theworkingdead
11th May
I find on o2 I either get 4G or basically nothing, never seen it connect to 3G, it's 4G or straight to HSDPA+, which is useless. Rarely ever connect to 5G too. I'm guessing that's entirely down to the coverage of 4G and 3G being exactly the same where I live so it's a moot point for me, I appreciate this could be different for other areas. You're point of older 3G phones becoming obselete is a good one though.
KodaBear
12th May
HSPA is 3G. It’s just a fancy technology that sits on top of 3G to make it faster.

In your case, o2 aren’t switching it off anytime soon either. So nothing will change for you. Their network is too old, and too badly congested at the moment to deal with losing their 3G technology right now.
bhaskarsa
11th May
4g phones are cheap, before 3g is turned off, 4g coverage should be sorted out
JGiles Author
11th May
Atricle on the subject from Martin Lewis’s (Money Saving Experts) website

moneysavingexpert.com/new…ff/ (edited)
JGiles Author
11th May
I only heard about it on the news yesterday so I’m sure they’ll be plenty of elderly etc who’ll suddenly find their phones don’t work and people not covered by 4g left with no coverage
JGiles Author
11th May
This shutdown is not coming from OFCOM or the government it’s the operators pushing it through

ofcom.org.uk/__d…pdf
Pájaro
12th May
Yeah, fair play to them. 3G is an ancient technology, and you can't really expect it to be supported forever. Its 2G service appears untouched, so your mum will be fine.
Anonymous User
12th May
At the moment yes. Iirc there is a plan to remove 2g eventually as well.

Quick google - yup 2033 is the switch off date for 2g - again iirc, that's more down to the mobile service used by the emergency services (which used to be called TETRA(?)) and it's replacement. (edited)
JGiles Author
16th May
Vodafone start turning of 3G one week the next announce cutting 11,000 jobs… and the new Chief says…
bbc.co.uk/new…601

‘My priorities are customers’… how is sacking 11k staff going to help customer service … clearly she’s never tried to speak to a real person at her own company.
Takes about 20 minutes of being constantly told to go online and having to shout ‘advisor’ constantly at the automated system