After more than two decades underpinning UK connectivity, 2024 will be the year of the 3G sunset.
First launched in the UK in 2003, major telco providers have revealed plans to switch off their 3G networks. Vodafone and EE switched theirs off last month, while VMO2 is expected to switch off its legacy network by the end of the year.
Even though it is older, the final 2G masts are set to close by the end of the decade – a pattern being seen across the globe.
In the US, some operators such as AT&T switched off 2G networks as early as 2017, now both are turned off apart from T-Mobiles which is still hanging on until the end of the year. Over the next couple of years, countries including South Africa, New Zealand, and many more will join the end of the 3G era.
In the UK, it’s estimated that over 2.4 million devices relied on 2G and 3G in 2023 – half of which are residential customers with 3G mobile phones, according to Ofcom. The other half varies vastly, from connected healthcare devices, cars, machinery monitoring, cameras, and sensors.
So, why are telecoms providers turning off their legacy connections? In its simplest terms, sunsetting refers to the gradual phasing out of older network technologies, and the aim is to make room for newer, more advanced ones.
Spectrum is a limited resource and policies around how it is managed vary country to country, but decommissioning 2G and 3G networks frees up spectrum that can be used to power 4G and 5G deployments. This allows for increased bandwidth, data speeds, and network services – and a faster, more efficient connected device for the end-user.
“The mobile network operators around the world are all looking ahead to upgrade primarily 5G technology, and to do that they need to free up spectrum,” explains Iain Davidson, senior product marketing manager at IoT connectivity provider, Wireless Logic.
When it announced the news, Vodafone’s UK chief network officer, Andrea Dona, said: “We need to ensure our technologies are fit for purpose.”
Talking from a consumer perspective, “3G use has already dropped significantly, as most of Vodafone’s customers now use the 4F network. Currently less than 4% of data is used on our 3G network, in comparison to more than 30% in 2016,” she added.
While sunsetting is less of an issue in the consumer world, where most individuals are likely to upgrade their hardware every two to five years, the business world’s 2G and 3G connected hardware are usually replaced every 10 to 15 years, sometimes 20 years, says Davidson.
“Naturally, the network sunsetting off 2G and 3G should be a real concern for all of those service providers that have devices deployed of that age,” Davidson adds. “But I think the concern is that many don’t think about it or plan ahead in time.”
2G or not 2G, that is the question
“The message is largely: Get informed, start planning, start thinking about your next technology step,” enthuses Davidson.
While sunsetting of 3G is already happening in the UK, companies are still taking their time to start shifting their devices, he says, as the tendency is to leave it until the last minute, particularly with the knowledge that there’s still time until 2G goes.
Usually, if a gadget is connected to 3G, it may be the case that 2G is the fallback option, “so there’s a temptation to feel relaxed about that.”
Even in the consumer world, British telecoms provider BT noted an uptick in 2G traffic of 10% after the provider EE switched off its 3G in north Wales last year: “Those 3G customers who had no desire or need for 4G mobile data continued to use our 2G network for calls and texts.”
“But the 2G sunset will creep up even if there’s quite a long runway in the UK,” Davidson says. “The end of the decade seems like a long way away, but many customers have thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of devices deployed on 2G networks today.”
Iain Davidson, senior product marketing manager at Wireless Logic
Logistically, upgrading all of those is pretty complex, he adds. “We would really encourage customers to start thinking.”
To enforce the point more. “The previous resource here is the spectrum and if the mobile networks want to re-farm it for other purposes, for higher performance, which does mean removing devices completely from 2G and 3G networks.”
Additionally, no individual business will see an extension, or pass.
Security and eSIMs
“An old CEO I used to work for once said never waste a good crisis. Now, I’m not saying we’re in a crisis right now on this subject, but there’s a potential to be there,” says Davidson.
“What he meant was there’s an opportunity here to change and improve and revolutionise what we’re doing as a business.”
Of course, the idea of sunsetting the networks is so that connected devices of any kind can receive better, faster service.
BT’s customer M-Sparc, a science park and innovation hub for the north of Wales, hails the use of 4G and 5G for supporting big tech developments such as AI, autonomous vehicles, connected devices, augmented reality, and data analytics.
M-SParc, science park and innovation hub for north Wales
“The latest mobile networks and technology will open new opportunities for sectors like agriculture, healthcare, and autonomous vehicles. It is very important therefore that we’re connected to the latest networks to keep innovating,” says Pryderi ap Rhisiart, managing director at M-SParc.
But that’s not the only benefit. Another advantage of reviewing and changing hardware is updating security and software. Businesses can look at newer options such as eSIM – virtual SIM cards that replace physical ones – allowing them to upgrade or switch provider without swapping out hardware.
“Let’s say quality or performance issues, or even commercial or regulatory changes,” says Davidson. Any reason to move, it will be easier to change it through the eSIM software.
Plus, if businesses and the market were not already concerned about sunsetting, the UK, EU, and the US have also passed new legislation that requires any connected device to comply with security regulations.
In the UK, for instance, connectable products must have a password applied to the hardware and software, they must report any security issues, and frequently publish updated security information on their devices.
IoT security is a significant issue. Security firm Zscaler ThreatLabz found that IoT malware attacks increased 400% in the first half of 2023 compared to 2022. Manufacturing alone saw 6,000 IoT attacks per week.
For Davidson, the new regulations coinciding with the switch-off gives businesses an even bigger incentive to modernize their tech in order to stay safe, and in the end, online.
One example to help with knowledge of security issues and information, Davidson suggests implementing device monitoring: “Businesses can continue to monitor how their devices are behaving. Where they are communicating from, how frequently, and then how much data are they transmitting.”
If any anomaly pops up, then the monitoring technology can flag that device and ultimately detect an infection.
Read more about how to bolster IoT security, here.
