Vodafone will stop offering 3G in two years’ time

Vodafone will stop offering 3G in two years. Customers who do not have a phone with 4G support then fall back on 2G, because Vodafone keeps the older 2G in the air. 3G will be turned off in January 2020.

Vodafone informs customers on an internet page set up for the occasion. The move is no surprise. The provider said last year that it wanted to gradually empty the 3g network, because almost all customers with mobile internet have now switched to 4g. In addition, it uses more and more frequencies that were in use for 3g for 4g.

The mobile provider says to turn off 3G to improve its 4G network. “In order to give full attention to our 4G network, we will say goodbye to 3G in January 2020.” The company promises to expand 3g to close the coverage gaps in 4g.

Vodafone’s 3g network has been up and running for about thirteen years now. The provider started with 3g, then often called umts, in June 2004. The provider keeps 2g up and running, which has been operational since the 1990s, because a lot of m2m communication goes through that network.