US finally bids farewell to 3G technology

It is curtains for 3G mobile services in the US, with the last telecommunication provider Verizon winding the old network on its customers’ devices. AT&T turned off its 3G service in February this year and T-Mobile started shutting down old networks in March. Verizon has sent people new, LTE-capable phones, as well as letters explaining exactly what’s going to happen, reports The Verge. Verizon has reportedly told customers with 3G phones that their “lines will be suspended starting the day before their December billing cycle begins”. After the deadline, they will be able to use 3G phones only for calling 911 and Verizon customer service. 3G still exists in several countries. According to Fierce Wireless, telecom carrier Orange plans to phase out its 2G and 3G networks in Europe by 2030. In France, 2G will be decommissioned first, by the end of 2025, followed by a 3G shutdown by the end of 2028. The first 3G phones began appearing in the early 2000s, but in the US, the network really came into its own with the rise of the smartphone. In India where 5G services have been rolled out, 4G now constitutes nearly 99 per cent of the total data traffic consumed across the country. The launch of low-cost 4G smartphones provided the necessary headroom for data growth with a significant number of 2G/3G subscribers potentially upgrading to a 4G smartphone, according to Nokia’s ‘Mobile Broadband India Traffic Index’ report.