Ofcom UK Sets Out Expectations for 2G and 3G Mobile Switch-Off

Ofcom has today set out their “expectations” for how they want mobile operators – Three UK, Vodafone, EE (BT) and O2 (VMO2 / Virgin Media) – to approach the phased switch-off of legacy 2G and 3G mobile services. The goal being to ensure consumers are “treated fairly” and aren’t left cut-off from vital services.

At present, the government and all major mobile operators have already agreed to phase-out existing 2G and 3G signals by 2033 (here), which will free up radio spectrum bands that can be used to further improve the network coverage and mobile broadband speeds of modern 4G and 5G based mobile networks. The switch-off will also reduce the operators’ costs and power consumption.

However, contrary to what you might think, 3G services will be the first to go because older 2G signals remain useful as a low-power fallback and are still necessary for some rural areas, as well as for particular applications (e.g. many Smart Meters and other Internet of Things (IoT) / M2M services are dependent upon 2G). In fact, most operators expect to have completely phased out 3G by the end of 2024.

The catch is that such a large-scale programme will inevitably cause data connectivity problems for anybody who still relies on a 3G device (they do still exist, even if in a minority), especially if it doesn’t have the capability to fall back to 2G.

The Phase Out Plans for 3G Mobile

➤ Vodafone UK will start to phase out 3G this month and aims to complete by December 2023.

➤ Three UK said they’ll be phasing out our 3G network service gradually over the next 2 years and switching it off by the end of 2024.

➤ EE (BT) will this year begin moving customers off 3G rather than switching the network off, but they aim to switch it off in early 2024.

➤ O2 (Virgin Media) informed us that they’ve yet to announce a public sunsetting timeframe, but will adhere to the 2033 date (O2 operates a lot of 2G based Smart Meters in homes).

The regulator, Ofcom, does NOT have a formal role in the switch-off process itself, but they do naturally wish to ensure that “consumers are treated fairly and can continue to access the services they need“. As part of this they’ve today published a document that, as well as highlighting any relevant regulator requirements, also sets out how they expect mobile providers to approach implementing the switch-off of their services to ensure that their consumer-focussed objectives are met.

Ofcom’s Key Expectations:

• Minimising coverage impact:

EE, Three and Vodafone have committed to ensure that they offer a broadly equivalent level of coverage after the 3G and subsequent 2G switch-off, with areas currently reliant on 3G/2G being upgraded to 4G ahead of switch-off. We welcome this and expect Virgin Media O2 (who has yet to set a date for its 3G switch-off) to make a similar commitment once it has progressed its plans. We expect operators to undertake detailed coverage analysis ahead of switching-off their networks to ensure they meet these commitments and customers do not experience a reduction in coverage.

• Contractual information about the switch-off of services:

Mobile providers should explain in their contract information and summary when the service being purchased will no longer function on the 3G and/or 2G networks (where known) and that the customer will need a 4G-capable handset after that date.

• Communicating with and providing support to customers:

Where customers need to replace or update their handset, we expect mobile providers to provide a minimum of three to six months’ notice of the steps they need to take, and to communicate in a clear and timely way, using a range of methods to raise customer awareness. Vulnerable customers, particularly those struggling financially, will need to be given additional support – this might include offering discounts on replacement handsets.

• Other services that rely on mobile networks:

As well as customers using older handsets, switch-off will also impact a range of other devices such as telecare alarms and payment terminals. These services will need a longer notice period. Many of them also use ‘roaming SIMs’ and do not have a direct customer relationship with UK mobile providers. We expect mobile providers to make every effort to identify these services, sharing knowledge across industry where possible, helping to raise awareness so that relevant suppliers have sufficient time to update their devices and consumers do not lose access to vital services.

Most of this is common sense, and it’s important to reflect that virtual mobile operators (MVNO) will need to follow the same approach as their customers will also be impacted by the change.

Selina Chadha, Ofcom’s Director of Connectivity, said:

“In the next few years, older mobile networks will gradually be switched-off to make way for faster, more reliable services.

But some people will need help upgrading their devices during this process. So we’ve told mobile networks what they should do to make sure support is available to those who need it.”

Nevertheless, a programme as large as this is still likely to catch some end-users out and will result in complaints, but that’s probably going to be a much bigger problem for the 2G switch-off than the 3G one.