Final UK mobile network begins 3G switch off as | Tech News

The UK’s mobile suppliers are nearing the top of their mission to close down the nation’s 3G networks which were in use because the early 2000s, with Virgin Media O2 this month changing into the final of the 4 national networks to begin the switch off.

Virgin Media O2 has began this by turning off all 3G providers within the metropolis of Durham on April 2, that means anybody there with an older mobile gadget such as a smartphone or pill that can’t entry 4G or 5G network will be unable to connect with mobile knowledge providers.

“Customers who currently don’t have a 4G device will lose access to mobile data services if they don’t take action before 2 April”, Virgin Media beforehand mentioned.

It serves as a warning to different O2 clients with out a 4G gadget in the remainder of the nation. This contains these on various network suppliers that use the O2 network, such as Tesco Mobile and Giffgaff.

Virgin Media O2 mentioned a small quantity of “known vulnerable customers” in Durham can be affected, and that that they had been provided a 4G-ready gadget free of charge. Other clients with out a 4G or 5G gadget had been “offered a new device at a reduced price.”

“The switch off in Durham is a key milestone in Virgin Media O2’s wider programme, and the company will use any lessons learned to inform the programme when 3G sites across the UK will be turned off, while also continuing to engage with consumer groups and charities such as Good Things Foundation to draw on their expertise and help manage the transition effectively,” Virgin Media O2 mentioned.

“By starting in just one location and by putting careful monitoring in place, we’ll minimise disruption to customers and ensure the success of this essential modernisation programme,” mentioned Jeanie York, Virgin Media O2’s Chief Technology Officer.

The firm has not but revealed the following places that may have their 3G connections turned off.

It means the mobile network supplier has joined Vodafone and EE, who totally switched off 3G in 2024, and Three, which is within the course of of closing down its 3G network, in turning off the previous tech. The concept is to make more room on the airwaves for newer and more succesful 5G network frequencies, as effectively as retiring the a lot much less used 3G spectrum.

Three switched on the primary 3G network within the UK in March 2003, enabling improved mobile knowledge providers for mobile telephones. The introduction of the iPhone in 2007 popularised the thought of mobile web browsers and data-hungry apps, however it took till 2012 for EE to introduce the UK’s first 4G network with vastly improved knowledge speeds.

Today, all 4 UK networks keep 4G and newer 5G networks that may assist hundreds of thousands of people utilizing mobile knowledge for issues such as online gaming and video streaming. EE switched on the primary UK 5G network in 2019.