US is about to Shut Down More 2G and 3G Services

UScelllar and Cellcom have recently set a date to shut down their aging wireless networks. Smaller network operators are following in the footsteps of larger national competitors, who are also taking similar measures.
USCellular announced on its website that it will shut down its 3G CDMA network on January 14, 2024.
USCellular wrote on its website, “Major wireless operators have already shut down their 3G CDMA networks, and you may start to notice the impact on old devices. When we shut down the network, 3G devices will be completely out of service. We are committed to supporting our customers and are ready to help you complete this transition. To keep you in touch, we offer significant discounts for 4G/5G devices.”
Laurent Thermal, CEO of UScellular, stated that the number of users on the network has decreased from 386000 18 months ago to less than 42000 now.

According to Seeking Alpha, he stated in a recent US cellular quarterly conference call, “We believe that we will continue to see more customer migrations in the coming months. We plan to reform this spectrum to support our LTE network. We expect that once the CDMA network is completely shut down in 2024, we will see more system operation savings.”
Like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, UScellular has stated that it will shut down aging 3G networks in order to allocate more resources (including spectrum) to 4G and 5G networks. In fact, UScellular is adding valuable intermediate frequency spectrum to its 5G network.
UScellular operates wireless networks in 21 states in the United States and has approximately 5 million mobile users. It has recently announced a sale, but it is unclear if there are any buyers.
In addition, Cellcom stated in September that after shutting down its 3G network in March, it will shut down its 2G network by the end of 2023.
Cellcom stated on its website, “Cellcom will contact customers who require new devices, including phones that are not compatible with VoLTE (LTE voice) and some models of home phone replacement devices.”
As previously reported by Light Reading, Cellcom began launching 5G using devices from Ericsson and Cisco in 2022. The company provides telecommunications services in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.

China’s major network operators shut down their 3G networks last year. According to financial analysts at Moffett Nathanson, the shutdown of 3G networks by Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile affected a total of 2.3 million service lines during 2022. But financial analysts at Wells Fargo believe that the number is 1.1 million.
In either case, it is unclear how many of these lines are active or unused. Operators record their 3G network outages as “user adjustments” rather than including new and lost users.
As for 2G, AT&T discontinued its services in 2017, while Verizon shut down its 2G network around 2020. T-Mobile announced earlier this year that it will shut down its 2G GSM network on April 2, 2024.
At the same time, some regulatory agencies have begun to pay attention to the spectrum and standards of 6G networks.