The end of 3G is near. Some operators are already using frequencies to offer 4G 3G and future 4G is expected to completely replace this mobile connectivity. However, there are many users who still do not have a mobile with 4G , but with 3G.
Some operators have already turned off 3G in some countries. Maintaining four different networks is not cheap, especially considering that there are fewer and fewer users using 3G. In Spain, for example, the 4G footprint is almost identical to that of 3G , with the advantage that 4G offers more speed, as well as the option of making calls through it with higher quality and lower latency.
There are millions of 3G-only compatible devices
However, there are devices that are still being used that depend on 3G connectivity , such as fall warning systems, old tablets and mobiles, or sensors in the industrial world. 3G allowed the explosion of mobile connectivity and access to the Internet anywhere, since 2G was too slow for this, reaching speeds of around 56 Kbps.
While in Spain it is estimated that by 2025 there could already be an operator that will shut down the 3G network , in the United States this was going to start next February. However, many consumer associations are warning of the danger that this would imply, since there are millions of devices in use today that would stop working.
For example, the police in the United States use breathalyzer tests that run on 3G. The sensor system to locate school buses uses 3G. And many elderly care systems use this connectivity. Therefore, it is necessary that all these devices be replaced as soon as possible.
20% of Americans use 3G
According to OpenSignal, 20% of Americans still use 3G networks on some device . In some cases, it is necessary for a technician to come to replace him, something complicated in the middle of a pandemic, where even older people want to do without contact with other people as much as possible.
Therefore, plans to replace 3G with 5G have many obstacles. Replacing all of those devices in a global chip supply crisis is quite a complex problem. However, the operators say they are not going to delay the shutdown, where AT&T , which plans to shut down its network in February , has been reaching out to affected users for months offering them cheap, or even free, new cell phones. Sprint will close it on March 31, 2022 , while Verizon will close it on December 31, 2022 .
Consumer associations ask that the end of 3G be produced by the end of the year in all operators, thus giving users margin. AT&T defends itself by saying that it takes three years to replace its customers’ 3G devices, and delaying its closure would negatively affect the deployment of new 5G networks, slowing down new services and jobs associated with that deployment.
Operators have many reasons to end 3G , as they are expensive to maintain, and they generate less profitability as time passes and fewer people use them. The FCC is not acting on this, but it is investigating the situation to see if they need to take action. The reality is that, inevitably, 3G has its days numbered in favor of 4G and 5G.