The shutdown of 2G and 3G is being driven forward by network operators worldwide to make room for modern mobile technologies such as 4G, 5G and specialized IoT networks such as LTE-M and NB-IoT. Deutsche Telekom has announced that the 2G network will be switched off in summer 2028. In this article, you can find out why the shutdown is necessary, what impact it will have on IoT devices and what role modern network standards such as 5G, LTE-M and NB-IoT will play in the future.
The GSM mobile network, better known to most as 2G, has been around since 1990. This is the second generation of the mobile network, which was supplemented by the third generation network (3G), the UMTS network, from 2000. Today, more than 30 years later, we have already arrived at LTE (4G) and 5G. The old technologies are "discontinued models" and it has been clear for some time that they will gradually be switched off over the coming months and years. The shutdowns will make room for the new standards and thus enable a reliable and faster connection in the mobile network.
Deutsche Telekom, for example, wants to use the frequencies around 900 MHz freed up by the shutdown of the 2G network to expand 4G and 5G in rural areas and improve the network.
Deutsche Telekom has now announced that it will completely switch off the slower 2G network, which is particularly widespread in rural areas, by summer 2028. This means that the 900 MHz spectrum currently blocked by 2G can be used for more powerful technologies in the future, enabling faster and more stable connections. Areas that were previously only covered by 2G are to be supplied with 4G or 5G as part of the ongoing network modernization before the shutdown. Vodafone has also stated that the available network capacity for 2G technology is expected to be gradually switched off in Germany by the end of 2030.
The 2G standard is currently still being used more frequently, particularly for emergency call and alarm systems, e.g. in elevators. These will have to be upgraded to 4G or VoLTE (Voice over LTE) over the next few years. End devices that are not able to use other standards would therefore be offline when 2G is switched off.
In Germany, all mobile network operators (Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and O2) have already implemented the 3G switch-off in 2021. While Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone have already switched off their 3G radio cells as of June 31, 2021, they will remain in operation for the O2 network until the end of 2021.
June 30, 2028
by the end of 2030
No date known yet
30.06.2021
30.06.2021
21.12.2021
Unlike in Germany, French network operators are planning to switch off the 2G network before the 3G network. Bouygues has announced that it will switch off 2G in France by the end of 2026. The French network operator plans to switch off 3G by the end of 2029. SFR has announced that it will also switch off 2G by the end of 2026 and 3G by 2028. Orange has announced 2025 for the 2G switch-off in France and plans to switch off the 3G network as early as 2026.
End of 2026
End of 2026
End of 2025
End of 2029
End of 2028
End of 2026
Network operators around the world have already pulled the plug on hundreds of 2G and 3G networks. Each network operator handles it differently, whether it switches off 3G first or gives preference to switching off 2G. While in Germany the 3G network was switched off before 2G, Swisscom and Sunrise in Switzerland have already switched off their 2G network at the end of 2022. However, specific dates for the 3G switch-off in Switzerland are not yet available. In the USA, AT&T's 2G network was already switched off in 2017, with T-Mobile following suit at the end of 2021. T-Mobile switched off its 3G network in the USA in 2020, while AT&T switched off 3G at the end of 2022.
Already switched off
31.12.2022
Already switched off
No date known yet
No date known yet
31.12.2022
In a nutshell: if the technology is not available, end devices cannot use it. When the 2G network is switched off in Germany, all devices that are unable to use a different frequency are offline. This affects all devices that were previously 2G/3G-capable and have not yet been upgraded to a newer technology such as 4G or 5G. This includes older alarm systems, for example, but also systems for home emergency call services and automatic emergency call systems (eCalls). These rely on stable connections in order to function reliably in an emergency.
If you use SIM cards in older end devices, you should check whether the end devices are also able to use newer frequencies such as 4G and 5G. Switching off 2G and 3G is not a problem for the SIM card, but primarily for the end device. While SIM cards generally also support newer technologies, it may be the case that an end device is not technologically capable of doing so. If this is the case, components can be retrofitted depending on the end device to achieve 4G or 5G capability. Information on this can be found in the operating instructions for the device or can be obtained from product support for your end device.
If our M2M SIM cards are in use in your devices, you don't need to do anything else with regard to the SIM card. Our M2M SIM cards already support several hundred 4G networks around the world as well as a large number of 5G networks. If you want to use these networks, you don't need to do anything else: The M2M SIM cards automatically support all 5G networks for which such an agreement exists and which belong to their tariff zone. It is important that your end devices are also able to establish a connection at least via the 4G network. With older devices in particular, there is a risk that only the 2G and 3G networks will be supported. Downward compatibility (the 4G network is not compatible with pure 2G/3G-capable devices) is not given, so that these devices cannot dial into the new networks and in the worst case remain offline. If you are affected or unsure about this, please contact us. We have contacts to reliable hardware partners and together we will find the right solution for you.
