Millions of people will be left without mobile phone internet connection as Vodafone becomes the first network provider to switch off its 3G network next month.
Britain’s largest providers are planning a countrywide shutdown, which risks plunging certain regions into digital darkness.
Vodafone is the first of the big telecoms companies to press ahead and phase out the service.
It says doing so will free up radio frequencies for faster 4G and 5G services.
However, mobile phones still connect to 3G when higher-speed networks are not available.
Switch off: Britain’s largest mobile phone network providers are planning a countrywide shutdown of their 3G services, which risks plunging certain regions into digital darkness
EE and Three have also announced plans to withdraw their 3G network this year, with the service scheduled for an industry-wide switch off by 2033.
More than 30 million Britons still use 3G regularly, according to a recent study by price comparison website Uswitch. Nearly one in ten people say it is the only network they can access.
Bristol is the UK city most reliant on 3G, with 29 per cent of residents using the network regularly, according to data from Uswitch.
Yorkshire is the region with the worst connectivity in the UK. Only 48 per cent of residents say they can get a reliable 4G signal, which means they still have to fall back on 3G.
In Wales 22 per cent of mobile phone users connect to 3G regularly, while in the North West of England it’s 15 per cent.
Campaign groups are warning that older people and those in rural locations in particular will be left without vital connections. Only half of us are aware the service is being phased out, Uswitch says.
A Uswitch spokesman says: ‘Although the network speeds that 3G offers are slow by modern standards, there are still many that rely on this older generation network, especially in rural areas, as a lifeline.’
Countrywide switch-off
The Government wants the 2G and 3G networks switched off by 2033 to free up the radio frequencies they use for faster network services.
In response, Vodafone began winding down its 3G service in Plymouth and Basingstoke in February. It now plans to phase out the remainder of its UK 3G network from June.
Hull, Oxford and Greater London will be first, followed by the remainder of the South. The rest of the country will follow later on in the year.
Vodafone says the move will allow it to offer faster internet speeds and improved call quality to its 18 million UK customers.
Virgin, Talkmobile and Asda customers will also be affected because their service is run on Vodafone’s network. EE plans to switch off its 3G network in early 2024 to focus on strengthening its 4G and 5G service.
On call: More than 30 million Britons still use 3G regularly with nearly one in ten people claiming it is the only network they can access
BT, Plusnet and Utility Warehouse customers will also be impacted as they piggyback off the EE network.
EE intends to expand its 4G service to more than 90 per cent of the UK and has added 2,000 sq miles to its coverage in recent years.
Three will also switch off its 3G service by the end of next year and intends to upgrade its network before this date.
It is investing £2 billion to build extra 4G and 5G sites and will speed up its 5G rollout to meet demand.
O2 has not yet announced plans to withdraw its 3G network.
All of the big four mobile network operators have pledged to offer 4G coverage to 95 pc of the UK by 2025. In total up to 20 per cent of the UK is not covered by the four largest mobile networks, according to a recent report from industry regulator Ofcom.
Around 92 per cent of the UK has outdoor 4G coverage from at least one provider but this drops to 83 per cent in Scotland.
Thousands still cannot connect
Ofcom estimates there are around 30,000 UK homes that cannot get a decent broadband service or good 4G mobile service.
Among those is David Jeffries, 59, a Three customer based in Ashwellthorpe, Norfolk.
‘I live close to Norwich, and although we have 4G, I get just one bar on a good day.
‘It’s a running joke in the village that we have no signal,’ he says. ‘Last year a car crashed into my front garden and it took me several tries to dial 999 as my phone would not connect.’
Deadline: The Government has given telecoms providers until 2033 to switch off their 2G and 3G networks to free up the radio frequencies they use for faster network services
Others say the signal in their area is so bad they can’t even load a webpage. Rob Chisholm, 43, a father of two from Southport, says his connection is so weak he has a download speed of 1.05 MB a second, too slow to stream a video.
Generally speaking, providers should offer at least 12 MB per second for reasonable coverage.
The senior business analyst has been with GiffGaff for ten years but may switch to a provider with a stronger 5G network.
‘Despite living just outside Manchester our signal has been very poor for the last few weeks,’ he says.
‘We’ve had a 5G mast installed in the area but it’s not functioning and affecting our signal.’
What do I need to do now?
People with newer smartphones should not need to do anything to connect to 4G or 5G.
Many older and more basic mobile devices do not have 4G capabilities but are able to use 3G. This means they will not be able to connect to the internet at all once 3G has been switched off.
If you don’t have access to 3G or 4G, you will still be able to send calls and texts using the 2G network even if you can’t get onto the internet.
Those with older phones will have to buy a new device if they want to connect online.
You could also switch your phone contract to a provider that is still running 3G. If you are a pay-as-you-go customer you can do this by buying a new Sim card.
Dennis Reed, of campaign group Silver Voices, says: ‘This decision by the giant telecom companies is an unnecessary and cynical move to force as many customers as possible onto smartphones and the 4G and 5G networks.’
A Vodafone spokesman says: ‘3G use has dropped significantly as most of our customers now use the 4G network. Now is the time to say goodbye to 3G.’
