With the announcement of 5G in most parts of the world and a test run of 6G in China which is a super upgrade to the previous generation of smartphone network, we can say it is truly the end of the 3G era.
3G which is the third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology which was first rolled out commercially in mid-2001 and saw the upgrade from 2G, 2.5G, GPRS, and 2.75G networks, ushered in the smartphone era is no longer sustainable as announced by global telcos.
Global internet service providers like AT&T and T-Mobile had shut down the service earlier in 2022 and most recently, Verizon and Vodafone have notified customers that they intend to cut off 3G-enabled devices from their networks from December 2022 and December 2023 respectively.
Also, according to the October report of the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) has confirmed that 142 companies in 56 countries have either completed, planned, or are in the process of shutting down 2G and 3G networks.
The decision to shut down these networks according to experts is being accelerated to make way for a stronger 5G technology and other networks. While network operators shut down 2G networks, the spectrums can be recycled for 4G and 5G networks to offer faster and better connectivity for their consumers.
However, in Africa, no announcement has been made by network providers concerning 3G services and devices.
South Africa which issued a statement about the future of 2G and 3G in the country announced that by June 2023, it will completely stop the licensing of 2G devices and the country also plans to carry out a similar process for 3G in the second half of 2024 which will end in March 2025.
Experts however believe that Nigeria will have little complications joining this movement because the 5G license currently being auctioned by the Nigerian Communications Commission can be deployed on the infrastructure of older networks.
These older networks, however, have a deadline date set by the original equipment manufacturers indicating when they will stop producing equipment for 3G and 2G and when the time comes, TELCOS using these equipment models may have difficulty operating.
