Earlier quoted context omitted.
EU mandated GSM, which was a success, but we aren’t stuck with it still.
We aren't stuck with _just_ gsm, but all phones still have to carry support for 2g. The analogous scenario is a phone with 2 charging ports. The legacy usb-c alongside the newer port you would actually want/use.
Q: Do network operators/SIM card (re)sellers still have to support 2G, or just the phone manufacturers?