Related, 'UK to ditch 2G & 3G by 2033': https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2021/12/uk-to-swit...
(I did submit it here, but no discussion to link.)
Plan Ahead for Phase Out of 3G Cellular Networks and Service
21–30 of 99 posts
Re: Plan Ahead for Phase Out of 3G Cellular Networks and Service
#22Newer phone networks are much more efficient than old ones. For a certain amount of 3G spectrum the carrier can serve more customers at higher data rates with 4G or 5G. From their viewpoint it is expensive to keep serving 3G customers.
Ironically 2g will still be around forever as a fallback and so much industrisl equipment relies on it At least thats what uk operators told me
Thats good to know thank you. I like to fall back on 2G phone rather than a smartphone from time to time.
Re: Plan Ahead for Phase Out of 3G Cellular Networks and Service
#23they finally woke up after realizing china is ahead already with 6G in the works
https://techwireasia.com/2021/09/huawei-is-charged-to-have-c...
Re: Plan Ahead for Phase Out of 3G Cellular Networks and Service
#24Is there any way to fix my old 3G phone to continue to work under 5G?
Depending on your operator/locality, and whether you're okay with being limited to voice and barely a 100 kbit/s of data, it might "just work", no need to do anything special. Your 3G phone will happily fall back to 2G/2.75G (a.k.a. GSM/GPRS/EDGE), where such network is available.
For example, in the Netherlands, KPN, the last operator to switch off 3G, is planning to do so at the end of this month.
2G, on the other hand, is still in the air, with commitments to keep it alive until 2025, possibly longer.
Source (in Dutch): https://www.kpn.com/zakelijk/blog/de-toekomst-van-iot-vraagt...
Re: Plan Ahead for Phase Out of 3G Cellular Networks and Service
#25I work in the Fire Industry, we've been selling LTE communicators for fire panels like hotcakes these last few years. Mostly due to so many sites not having good enough internet connections for IP-DACTs, or IT refusing to deal with fire alarm panels on their networks like putting us on a VLAN and giving us access to the outside world. I understand their hesitancy, but so many panels have built in IP communication wit…
Even if it cost nothing to upgrade you would have industry trade groups shouting from the rooftops on how terrible this is and how bad 4G is. In a previous job that required PCI compliance not even the threat of losing the ability to process credit cards would stop these trade groups.
Re: Plan Ahead for Phase Out of 3G Cellular Networks and Service
#26What is your favorite thing that was built to last? This is, perhaps, a cheesy country song that speaks to the idea https://youtu.be/E4i2fC1U38s . Is "built to last" an obsolete notion?
This probably would have been more appropriate as an Ask HN. Editorializing the headline like that is a no-go.
Understood. Fixed headline.
Re: Plan Ahead for Phase Out of 3G Cellular Networks and Service
#27they finally woke up after realizing china is ahead already with 6G in the works https://techwireasia.com/2021/09/huawei-is-charged-to-have-c...
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Re: Plan Ahead for Phase Out of 3G Cellular Networks and Service
#28Newer phone networks are much more efficient than old ones. For a certain amount of 3G spectrum the carrier can serve more customers at higher data rates with 4G or 5G. From their viewpoint it is expensive to keep serving 3G customers.
Ironically 2g will still be around forever as a fallback and so much industrisl equipment relies on it At least thats what uk operators told me
The UK has recently agreed with the industry to phase out 2G by 2033, as mentioned in another comment here.
I imagine there will be a fair bit of industrial equipment and smart meters needing replaced as a result!
Re: Plan Ahead for Phase Out of 3G Cellular Networks and Service
#29they finally woke up after realizing china is ahead already with 6G in the works https://techwireasia.com/2021/09/huawei-is-charged-to-have-c...
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it is linked, you just refuse to admit it
this is common in the west, you try to find excuses to what ever agenda your government has
as a result you fall behind on many fields, including education
it's no wonder 5G still isn't the standard, and yet you try to find excuses
that's what happen when old people rule your country and economy, they made decisions because they don't want to risk what they have for the few years they have left on this planet
now ask yourself, why
what's blocking from having 5G everywhere? despise being the "richest?" country on the planet
what's preventing it?
why are they trying to push 5G only just now?
they didn't have the tech "until now"
they didn't want to rely on china because they were the one with the tech?
or it simply was just they didn't want to invest because it would cost too much, so they focus on selected tiny areas only and forget about country side because "they don't need it"?
> debates = "flamebait that detracts from the discusion"?
how come? that's because you chose to be blind that we stuck with 2G-3G in 2021
Re: Plan Ahead for Phase Out of 3G Cellular Networks and Service
#30I worked very very briefly in the wireless service industry on UAPs and large scale cell antenna receivers. To me, this doesn't seem as much a conspiracy to obsolete old phones as a practical stance to not need to have two copies of antennas on every tower. The old antennas used in 3G don't go up to the frequencies needed by true 5G, so they need new ones. If they're developing new ones, they don't want to have to ke…
> As a side effect, anyone still using a 3G device needs to buy a new one, but I don't think that is the main driver for the move. Despite the positives, this feels kind of sad. If you look at software, many of the older browsers out there can't even open simple modern webpages. After years, i grow weary of the churn, i've gone from Windows 98 to Windows 10 now, through numerous versions of Debian/Ubuntu and CentOS/F…
Cell phones and mobile devices in general have always been disposable items with limited expected lifespans. Instead of worrying about keeping obsolete devices working we should focus on clean disposal and recycling that minimizes waste and pollution.