Virgin Media O2 recently announced its plans to begin its 2G network switch-off in Summer 2029, joining its industry rivals in setting a date to wind down the legacy technology.
Its timeline is similar to that of the country’s other operators, with BT expecting to begin deactivating 2G in May 2029 and VodafoneThree set to turn off its last sites in Spring 2030.
All three operators have signed a voluntary government charter for retirement of the technology. Commitments in that document include undertaking a gradual process starting in trial areas, thorough testing, and work to aid migration of IoT devices supporting “life critical services” which are currently tied to 2G.
VMO2 noted decommissioning 2G would mean it could switch resources to 4G and 5G, having turned off 3G in 2025.
Advantages cited include redeployment of spectrum resources, cutting energy consumption and generally upping service levels for customers.
The operator reports its 2G network currently carries less than 0.5% of all data used by its customers.
VMO2 CTO Jeanie York said “having recently switched off our 3G network and signed up to the government 2G switch-off charter, we know exactly how to do this responsibly and without disrupting customers. While most customers won’t need to take any action at all, some businesses might need to start planning for this now”.
“We will communicate with customers directly and ensure we support everyone as this essential upgrade takes place.”
Source: Mobile World Live
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Source: Tahawul Tech