Why most countries are struggling to shut down 2G
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Global leap to 4G and 5G would cut off phone access for millions of vulnerable people.

Global leap to 4G and 5G would cut off phone access for millions of vulnerable people.

  • Telecom companies aim to profit from the 2G-to-5G transition as governments worldwide face pressure to free up mobile spectrum.
  • Vietnam is the latest country to shut down 2G by offering free 4G phones to the poor.
  • India and South Africa have expressed concern that the strategy would cut off phone access for millions of vulnerable people.
  • shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zipEnglish
    11·
    2 days ago

    subsidize 4G and 5G devices and shut off 3G and just leave 2G alone for a while. It’s not like it takes up that much bandwidth. A couple of hundred kilohertz is not going to make a difference on 5G.

    You can get like 5 or 10 megahertz off of 3G, which actually would be something worth pulling off and moving to 5G. But the couple hundred kilohertz on 2G is just not going to make that much of a difference.

    • piecat@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      2 days ago

      There’s a lot of hidden cost associated with supporting legacy features/standards/technology

      Do they have different frequencies? Require different antennas?

      Are there cost implications for radios / amplifiers? Do ASICs support only newer modes? How much obsoleted / legacy HW is required?

      And that’s just from a manufacturer standpoint.

      Are more licenses required? Or other regulatory impacts?

    • octobob@lemmy.mlEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      I think a lot of rural areas in the US still rely on 3G. I’ve definitely seen my phone switch to it out in the sticks

      I also know for a fact some of our systems at work that pump liuqid nitrogen still use 3G modems for communicating data

      • shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zipEnglish
        1·
        2 days ago

        What carrier is this? I know for a fact that T-Mobile has shut down their 3G network and I thought AT&T and Verizon did as well, but I can’t swear to that. I know for a fact that AT&T has already shut down their 2G network though.

        Anywhere where a 3G signal would be used, 2G will be used if the 3G is not available.

        • octobob@lemmy.mlEnglish
          1·
          1 day ago

          Gonna be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve been out to the country. I just saw most carriers shut down 3G in 2022. Time flies and all that.

          Also now that I think about it, we may have been installing 4G LTE modems on our pumps lately. That customer only buys a few systems a year.

          I wonder too, say 3G gets totally shut down in the US. Will new phones still be able to connect to it if I’m traveling outside the US? I was bopping around some small islands in the Pacific last year and was heavily relying on 3G for things like maps.

          • shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zipEnglish
            1·
            1 day ago

            Yes, as long as the phone physically supports the 3G frequencies, you will be able to connect to it when you leave the US. Even though the carrier is here or not broadcasting it, I do not see why the physical modems would no longer be supporting it. At least for a good while.