AT&T Shutting Down 3G Service Next Month; Other Carriers to Follow

WASHINGTON D.C. –– Several months ago, the Federal Communications Commission announced the three major mobile carriers will be shutting down their 3G networks to "make room for more advanced network services, including 5G." The phasing out will begin this year.

According to the announcement, "if your mobile phone is more than a few years old, you may need to upgrade your device before your mobile provider shuts down its 3G network, to avoid losing service."

Each carrier will complete the phasing out of its 3G service over the next few months.

AT&T 

• Will finish shutting down its 3G network by February 2022.

Verizon 

• Will finish shutting down its 3G network by December 31, 2022.

T-Mobile 

• Sprint's 3G CDMA network will be phased by March 31, 2022, and the 4G LTE network by June 30, 2022. 
• T-Mobile's 3G UMTS network will be shut down by July 1, 2022, but has not yet announced a shutdown date for its 2G network.

"As mobile carriers seek to upgrade their networks to use the latest technologies, they periodically shut down older services, such as 3G, to free up spectrum and infrastructure to support new services, such as 5G," said the FCC. "Similar transitions have happened before. For example, some mobile carriers shut down their 2G networks when they upgraded their networks to support 4G services. Mobile carriers have the flexibility to choose the types of technologies and services they deploy, including when they decommission older services in favor of newer services to meet consumer demands."