EE said the process to switch-off its 3G network is expected to start in January 2024
BT Group said it expects to fully complete the switch-off of U.K. carrier EE’s 3G network by March 2024, BT’s chief networks officer Greg Mccall said in a blog post.
The executive confirmed that the work to shut down EE’s 3G network will start in January 2024.
“Our 3G pilot in Warrington this summer saw the town become the first place in the U.K. where EE’s 3G network was switched off. It was a significant milestone in our journey to enhance Britain’s mobile infrastructure and helped inform the approach for our nationwide retirement of 3G,” Mccall said.
“Following the smooth switch off there were no customer complaints about network coverage or performance. Importantly, there were also no capacity issues on either our 2G or 4G networks, despite a natural rise in traffic as more people relied on them every day,” the executive said.
The executive also noted that 3G technology currently represents around 35% of EE’s networks total power consumption. “Retiring the technology is one of the best steps we can take to reduce our carbon footprint, as modern networks like 4G and 5G are not only faster and more reliable for customers but also up to ten times more efficient,” he said.
According to U.K. telecom regulator Ofcom’s Mobile Matters 2023 report, EE customers only spend 2.7% of their time connected to 3G networks, which is the lowest amount of time of any U.K. mobile operator.
Rival operator Vodafone UK had outlined plans to begin retiring its 3G network in 2023, while Three UK had announced plans to turn off its 3G network at the end of 2024. Virgin Media O2 announced plans to switch-off its 3G network in 2025.
EE had previously announced its 5G network has already reached 60% population coverage in the country. EE initially launched 5G technology in London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff, Birmingham and Manchester in 2019. Other large cities in which the telco offers 5G coverage includes Bristol, Covently, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and Sunderland.
To reach its current 5G coverage, EE used its 700 MHz 5G spectrum to offer indoor and wider rural coverage. EE secured 2×10 megahertz of paired frequency spectrum in the 700 MHz band at a cost of £280 million (currently $349 million); 20 megahertz of supplementary downlink spectrum in the 700 MHz band at a cost of £4 million; and 40 megahertz in the 3.6-3.8 GHz band for £168 million.
In September 2022, EE said it was deploying ultra-lightweight radio technology supplied by Ericsson with the aim of improving 5G energy efficiency and network performance across its footprint.
Last year, EE claimed to be the first European network to successfully aggregate a 5G signal using seven different spectrum carriers.