Mobile operator Three UK, which was previously aiming to complete the process of switching off their old 3G (mobile broadband) network by the end of 2024 (here), has told ISPreview today that the “vast majority” of their 3G sites were switched off in September 2024. But a “small number” of sites are still live to avoid customers losing service.
As part of the process, most mobile operators have generally been compensating for the 3G switch-off in some areas by introducing upgrades to newer 4G and 5G services. The removal of 3G also freed up some radio spectrum that can be re-farmed for use by modern services, which could boost network performance and coverage. On top of that, operators will benefit from some big cost and energy savings due to not having to cater for the old network.
However, despite now passing the end of 2024, Three UK has yet to announce the full completion of their 3G switch-off programme and some of ISPreview’s readers have found that they still have 3G sites live in various locations (in some cases we’ve also seen evidence of 3G sites being switched off and then switched back on again a few weeks/months later).
A Three UK spokesperson told ISPreview:
“The vast majority of our 3G sites were switched off in September 2024, and as a precautionary measure there were a small number of 3G sites remaining. Our priority is to ensure that no customers lose service, these remaining sites will be prioritised for upgrading before we remove 3G.”
In fairness, Vodafone’s own 3G switch-off programme similarly left a “small number of locations” live with the service after they confirmed completion of their own switch-off programme in February 2024 (here), and much like Three UK they also didn’t clarify precisely how many sites or premises were still covered by the old service – or when these would be closed.
However, it is entirely sensible for a mobile operator to ensure, in a situation where the switch-off may do more harm than good, that they delay the process until local 4G/5G services can be improved first. The fact that Three UK are in the process of being merged into Vodafone may be an additional factor, since that could delay things by opening up previously unavailable network solutions, albeit after the merger completes.