EE has informed its customers that it will be phasing out one of its longest-standing national services. The company is set to encourage users still on 2G networks to switch to more modern 4G or 5G offerings, in anticipation of the complete shutdown of its 2G network by 2030, as planned by its parent company BT, reports the Express.
In a statement to EE’s customer base, Howard Watson, BT’s chief security and networks officer, alongside Kerry Small, BT’s chief operating officer, remarked: “Mobile connectivity has come a long way since the early 1990s when the UK launched its first 2G network. It was a time long before the first smartphone was invented, before the Premier League launched, and even before the first SMS text message was sent.”
They added: “But it is a world apart from what we, as a society, now demand from our digital communications. Today, just 0.1 percent of all data on our entire EE mobile network is carried over 2G.”
They further explained: “As a result, all mobile operators have committed to the UK Government to close their 2G networks by 2033 at the latest. While we will not be closing our 2G network until later this decade, the time for businesses to start preparing is now.”
They concluded with a commitment to transparency: “We want to make sure all UK businesses understand how our network is evolving and give several years notice before any changes take effect.
“Having first spoken publicly about our 2G retirement plans back in 2021, in the coming months we will be reaching out to all our business customers who still use 2G in their operations to encourage and support them in making the move to a modern network; such as 4G, 5G or our new purpose-built Internet of Things (IoT) service used to connect smart devices and sensors.”
This was the statement given by EE regarding their plans to phase out the old 2G internet network. Any customer still using this network will be disconnected unless they are on wi-fi when the service ends in 2030.
However, those on 4G or 5G will not be affected. All networks are required to shut down their 2G services by 2033, but many have taken it a step further by also announcing the end of their 3G services.
Virgin Media is set to close its 3G network in April, while EE, Vodafone and Three have already done so.
EE is switching off a long running service and has issued a message to customers
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