The UK preparing for 2G/3G shutdown will make it easy for equipment makers to adopt 4G and 5G technologies and develop them faster. The government wants to switch off all their 2G/3G networks by 2033.
As the mobile communications stride towards 5G and 6G revolutions, the world states cannot hold on to older mobile networks. Adding to a growing number of countries, the UK has now set a timeline to discontinue its legacy networks.
As it stands, the UK is preparing to completely end the second generation and third generation mobile networks over the next decade by 2033. This will, for government reasons, allow free up resources for upcoming 5G and 6G.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “5G technology is already revolutionizing people’s lives and businesses – connecting people across the UK with faster mobile data and making businesses more productive.
The government has also raised heavy investments to enhance its mobile telecom for the future. The country is investing a large sum on Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN) projects.
“Today we are announcing a further £50m to put the UK at the forefront of mobile connectivity and to make sure our telecoms networks are safe and secure now and in the future.”
She told that preparing for a shutdown of both 2G and 3G will make it easy for telco gear makers to enter the market because they won’t have to support older mobile networks.
The UK government wants to end its dependency on a narrow base of suppliers. China’s Huawei ban has already made it difficult to spearhead next-gen mobile technologies for the state.
Do read: China To Deploy 3.64 MN 5G Base Stations By 2025
UK Shutting Down 2G/3G Consented by Telcos
All the four networks in the UK – EE, Vodafone, O2, and Three have consented to the proposal to end the legacy network by 2033.
BT, the parent company that owns EE, has said in July that it will discontinue 3G by early 2023, followed by 2G, which is more than 25 years old, later in the decade.
Hamish MacLeod, director of industry body Mobile UK, which represents all the major UK mobile networks has also welcomed the decision of the UK government.
“Switching off 2G and 3G will enable operators to transition fully to more energy-efficient and high capacity networks to the benefit of customers,” he said.
Also read: USA Is Phasing Out 3G But Not Without Its Side Effects
The world states are switching off their 2G and 3G networks to create a space for revolutionary 5G and 6G mobile networks. This includes the US, South Korea, India, Bhutan, etc. Soon our devices that support only 3G networks might become obsolete. Mobile network is on its top gear for the hyper-real revolution and we will see that sooner than later.
Do you think that states are hurrying up their plan on shutting down legacy networks as there are still millions of devices that only support up 2G or 3G? You can drop your opinions in the comments below.