While 5G may be grabbing all the attention and headlines these days, mobile carriers have been working on plans to move away from older networks and, they hope, convert existing customers to their latest tech. Case in point: the venerable 3G network, which came online in the US in the early 2000s. Various companies are handling the transition to 5G on their own timetables, and AT&T recently laid out more info on its vision. A support article on the company’s site points to February 2022 for the final phaseout of its 3G network.
“Talk and data services won’t work for older wireless phones and devices that don’t support at least 4G LTE and HD Voice,” the support doc states.
For those still rocking an AT&T 3G phone, the company handily offers an extensive chart of devices that will still work once 3G disappears. The list mentions over 150 models, including popular options like the new Samsung Galaxy S20, Google’s Pixel series, and iPhones from the 6 onward.
Other mobile operators have their own plans for leaving 3G. Verizon, for one, moved on late last year and as of January 1, 2020, “3G/4G non-HD Voice CDMA devices can’t be activated for any new line of service.”
Meanwhile, Sprint stopped activating 3G-only devices last year and, alongside T-Mobile, the company may be waiting for the dust from their pending merger to settle before getting into further specifics about 3G deactivation.
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