The end of the 3G network is a fact. The next operator turns off the transmitters. Do you need to replace phones? What about 2G?

, in which all four largest telecommunications operators in Poland took part – P4 (Play network), Polkomtel (Plus network), Orange Polska and T-Mobile Polska. No one has any doubts that the fifth generation network is the future of mobile telephony, and the acquisition of new frequencies by operators will only accelerate the process of its dissemination.

However, investments in 5G mean that telecoms have started looking for savings in other areas of their operations. Here, of course, 3G transmitters come first. Keeping third-generation networks alive is becoming pointless when the vast majority of phones use 4G/LTE, and many of them also support 5G.

Such changes are consistent not only with Polish law, but regulated at the European and global level

– explains the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE) on its blog.

T-Mobile announced its plan to phase out the 3G network at the end of 2020. The company started the process of turning off transmitters in 2021 and ended in April 2023. The operator also explained that it was not giving up the 2G network, because it can still be used for telephone calls, but to use the Internet it is best to connect using at least LTE.

Orange also turns off 3G. The company will turn off all transmitters by 2025

Another operator that decided to say goodbye to 3G is Orange Polska. In September 2023, the company began the process of test shutting down the 3G network in the vicinity of Piła and Sieradz, and by the end of 2025 the operator’s transmitters will be switched off throughout Poland.

Till the end of October [2023 r. – red.] 3G was turned off in the following areas: Wieruszów, Wieluń, Pajęczański, Złotów and partially Piła and Wałecki. Since the beginning of November, shutdowns have been going on in Sieradz, Zduńska Wola and nearby areas.

– emphasizes Orange Polska in the published statement.

For 2024 – among the larger activities that we can already talk about – is planned, among others: the area of ​​Koszalin or Kołobrzeg. By 2025, we plan that the disconnections will cover the whole of Poland and we will free up the network capacity for more modern solutions

– I read on.

The company emphasizes that it keeps its customers informed about changes related to the shutdown of the 3G network. It also encourages them to replace older SIM cards and older phones with those that support the 4G/LTE network. At the same time – just like T-Mobile before – the company assures that it has no plans to turn off the 2G network.

The bands occupied by the 3G network will be allocated to the 4G LTE network. Every year, more and more users and devices use it (it provides, among other things, much higher Internet speeds on the phone).

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T-Mobile and Orange are disconnecting 3G. What does this mean for customers?

For T-Mobile and Orange subscribers, turning off the 3G network means that they can still use 2G, 4G and 5G. It was decided to maintain the coverage of the second generation network, but it is only used for calls and sending text messages in places where there is no 4G and 5G coverage. The vast majority of users will use the two latest standards for calls, sending messages and the Internet. What about the rest?

After turning off 3G, a consumer who does not have a device using 4G technology will only be left with a 2G network

– explains UKE.

However, in practice, turning off 3G will only affect a few people. First of all, those who use very old phones that do not yet support 4G. So we’re talking about phones dating back to the first decade of this century. The second group are people who have never replaced their SIM cards with those supporting the 4G/LTE network.

As experts note, the problem of disabling 2G and 3G transmitters applies not only to older cells, but also to a number of other devices, such as e-book readers, home alarm systems, medical devices and accident notification systems.

Global paralysis of mobile telephony due to the shutdown of 3G is unlikely to threaten us, but – as usually happens – complications may arise along the way that will delay the process of killing this technology.

Why are operators giving up 3G?

This is a natural consequence of the development of mobile telephony. Operators are increasingly focusing on the 5G network, which requires replacing transmitters and freeing up bandwidth to be used to increase the capacity of the newer generation networks.

What about Play and Plus?

According to UKE, P4, the operator of the Play network, announced that there is currently no plan to discontinue 3G services. As for Plus, the company started the process of phasing out 3G already in 2020. However, it has been very limited so far, and most of the operator’s customers can still use the third generation network. The company intends to finally say goodbye to 3G only around 2027.