US EditionUK Prepares to Wave Goodbye to 3G Telecoms
Virgin Media O2 will finalize its 3G network shutdown to enhance 4G and 5G services; 3G now accounts for less than 2% of mobile data usage, CTO said.
- Virgin Media O2 has issued a final warning as it prepares to complete its 3G switch-off across the UK in the coming weeks, refocusing capacity on faster, more reliable 4G and 5G networks.
- Following a 2021 government agreement, major UK carriers agreed to phase out 3G, with Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer, Virgin Media O2, citing shifts to 4G and 5G as key drivers.
- On April 2 VMO2 began switching off 3G in Durham and has removed it in Scotland, Watford, and Norwich; its website lists many incompatible legacy handset models.
- Customers with 3G-only phones will lose mobile data but keep calls and texts, and VMO2 communications team says it has written to affected customers offering discounts and free upgrades for vulnerable users.
- Despite the shutdown, some sites may show 3G into early 2026, as Kester Mann said, `Not everyone will mourn its closing.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Telegraph & Argus
Virgin Media O2 to shut off service after 20 years as it issues final warning
Virgin Media O2 has issued a final "upgrade as soon as possible" warning to customers as it gets set to complete its 3G switch-off over the coming weeks.
UK prepares to wave goodbye to 3G telecoms as tri-hard tech retires
Virgin Media the last to go as users of older mobiles warned to upgrade Britain is set to become a post-3G nation as Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) prepares to be the last of the country's mobile networks to switch off its 3G service, although it may linger for a while at a few sites.…
O2 says farewell to 3G
O2 is the last network that still operates a 3G network, with the other UK mobile operators already having decommissioned their 3G service so they can re-deploy the spectrum to be used for 4G and 5G service. Three most recently announced that they had switched off the final parts of the 3G network for which they are a namesake at the end of November. https://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/o2-says-farewell-to-3g
Virgin Media O2 Confirm UK 3G Mobile Switch-Off to Complete in Early 2026
The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of broadband and mobile provider Virgin Media and O2 (VMO2), Jeanie York, has today confirmed that they’re “set to complete” their switch-off of the old legacy 3G mobile network “in the coming weeks” – largely as planned (although a few areas will still have 3G signals into “early 2026“). The process, which was originally due to reach UK completion by the end of 2025, will free up radio spectrum so it can be us…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 90% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
