Telenet/BASE will switch off its 3G signal within two years, from September 2024. The vast majority of customers have a mobile device that runs on the newer 4G or 5G technology and so most should not be affected by this. “The number of devices that only work on 3G has fallen sharply in recent years and is currently only 1 percent on the network,” Telenet said on Thursday.
The frequencies of 3G will be used after the shutdown to make the 4G and 5G network even faster and more stable, the telecom company explains as an explanation for the shutdown.
3G or third generation mobile internet was launched in Belgium in 2004. It allowed users to surf the internet at high speed for the first time outside the home. In the meantime, 4G has been introduced – which allows even higher surfing speeds – and the rollout of 5G has started. Many of these new applications require a lot of bandwidth; mobile data usage is increasing by 30 percent every year. “By freeing up the network capacity of the older 3G signal and using it for 4G and 5G, Telenet can offer its customers more capacity, stability and higher speeds. For the same reasons, operators around the world are gradually disabling, or have already done so, this older technology.”
The switch-off by Telenet will be phased: calling and surfing over 3G will be possible until September 2024. Older devices that do not work on 4G will then be able to continue to use the 2G signal, which Telenet supports until at least 2027. All customers will receive a personal message about this. message received, the company says.
Telecom operator Orange announced a few months ago that it would stop its 3G services. These will be gradually phased out from the middle of next year, before being permanently shut down in 2025.
Source: https://www.paudal.com/2022/09/15/telenet-switches-off-3g-signal-within-two-years/