Vodafone is rolling out a huge change that will prevent millions of Britons from using the internet on their smartphone.
The telecoms company has announced it will shut down its 3G network in the UK from next month, after nearly two decades of service.
It said the shutdown will allow 3G radio frequencies to be used for “faster and more efficient” 4G and 5G services, which most of its customers now use.
But it does mean Vodafone customers with older 3G smartphones that don’t support 4G or 5G like iPhone5 or earlier will need to buy a new device.
Here’s how to see if the change will affect you.
Vodafone’s decision to turn off 3G means its customers with older phones that don’t support 4G or 5G, like the iPhone 5 (pictured) or earlier, will have to buy a new device
The first 3G voice call in the UK was made in April 2001 by Vodafone, although its 3G mobile data network was only launched in 2005.
Turning off 3G will allow Vodafone to become more energy efficient and focus on its 4G and 5G networks, which offer “more reliable connectivity,” the company said in a statement.
“Our aim remains to continue building the UK’s most reliable mobile network and to continue to do so, we need to ensure our technologies are fit for purpose,” said Andrea Dona, UK network director at Vodafone.
“Now is the time to say goodbye to 3G and focus on the current benefits and future possibilities of our 4G and 5G networks.”
Dona said 3G use has already “decreased significantly” because most of Vodafone’s customers are now using the 4G network, while newer phones are using 5G.
The fifth generation wireless standard offers faster connectivity and higher bandwidth, which means faster download speeds for internet users and more capacity and connectivity for billions of devices.
A Vodafone spokesman told MailOnline it could not disclose how many of its customers are currently using 3G.
However, less than 4% of customer data is used on Vodafone’s 3G network, up from over 30% in 2016.
According to recent research from Uswitch.com, seven percent of 2,000 British adults, potentially equivalent to several million people, say it’s the only network they can access.
Vodafone to phase out 3G in 2023, but that means many feature phone users will need to switch to modern devices (stock image)
By retiring 3G, Vodafone will be able to reuse 3G bandwidth, meaning its 4G and 5G networks will get a boost in speed and capacity, so customers can enjoy a better connection.
Vodafone already ran ‘successful’ switch-off pilots in Plymouth and Basingstoke in February this year, but it has now been revealed that this will be rolled out nationwide from next month.
The nationwide lockdown will take place in stages throughout 2023, starting in June with Hull, Oxford and Greater London before proceeding into the south, with the rest of the UK following later in the year.
Vodafone’s 2G network, which currently covers over 99% of the UK population, will remain active for calls and texts, but customers will not be able to access data on it.
If customers have not switched to 4G or 5G by 2023 and have a 3G phone, they will switch to Vodafone’s 2G network.
Vodafone is keeping 2G because it’s a “truly universal technology”, according to a spokesperson, although telecoms companies have agreed with the UK government to phase out 2G by 2033.
4G and 5G will gain coverage and speed boosts from the reuse of 3G spectrum, according to Vodafone.
A move away from 3G will also reduce the company’s environmental footprint, as modern 5G networks are over 10 times more energy efficient than older 3G equipment.
Vodafone’s 3G network withdrawal is also “a big part” of its goal of reaching net zero for its UK operations by 2027.
Net zero a proposition trumpeted by many companies as a way to advertise their green credentials refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gases a company produces and the amount it removes from the atmosphere.
The first 3G voice call in the UK was made in April 2001 by Vodafone, although their 3G mobile data network ran until 2005. Pictured is a Vodafone store in Bristol, 2003
Sending a terabyte of data over the 5G network uses seven percent of the energy used to send the same amount of data over the 3G network, according to Vodafone experts.
The manager has already turned off 3GGermany and Italy, while the shutdown of 3G in Australia will take place in December.
Vodafone UK said last year it would switch off 3G, so it has already given customers more than a year’s notice to give them time to upgrade to a new phone.
Vodafone is also publishing a dedicated help page on its website to make sure customers with 3G phones are not left behind.
It follows the same decisions announced by Three a year ago and by EE in July 2021, which will shut down 3G by the end of 2024.
The only one of the “big four” UK telecoms companies to have yet announced the withdrawal of 3G is O2.
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