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When will 3G networks shut down and will my phone be affected?
The 3G shutdown will affect different devices and subscribers at different times, but the end is the same
Few wireless standards have changed how we interact with the world more than 3G. Although now it’s viewed as either an unfortunate necessity of poor service coverage or merely an antiquated relic from a time gone by, it brought people together in previously unimaginable ways in its heyday. But now, 20 years after it was launched, 3G is being retired, and if your carrier hasn’t already phased it out, it’s only a matter of time.
Your old T-Mobile 3G phone is going to keep working for a little while longer
The shutdown won't happen until the second half of 2022
T-Mobile, could you just pick a set of dates and stick with it, please? A few weeks ago the company's internal documents said it would be shutting down its legacy UMTS 3G network on October 1st, as announced earlier this year. But in a new press release, that date has been moved back for the better part of a year: it's now going out on July 1st, 2022.
AT&T confirms it is sending surprise Galaxy Note9s to some customers affected by its 3G shutdown
Other unsolicited Note and S-series phones were apparently given out
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Ahead of the shutdown of its 3G network early next year, AT&T has been prompting customers who own devices that are set to become obsolete to get new phones. It's gone so far as to offer a free if cheap replacement for those who request one. However, some subscribers who have yet to take action of any sort on this matter are receiving devices anyway and they're not the phones we were told to expect.
T-Mobile's 3G shutdown is back on schedule for October
Also, Sprint's LTE network now has an end date
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In its bid to keep on the forefront of the 5G race in the United States, T-Mobile hasn't made its plans to kill off its and Sprint's 3G networks exactly loud and clear, but we had a good idea of when the ball would start rolling and when it would finish. Well, that was until the plans apparently changed, before shifting again just a few months later.
AT&T graciously offers free device downgrades for customers affected by 3G shutdown
Free is free, but is free always good?
AT&T is shutting down its 3G network next February and is prepared to give its customers a new phone for free lest their current one becomes useless —that is, they can't place calls over LTE. Just don't expect the carrier to go to great costs for your replacement.
Some older Samsung and OnePlus phones will stop working on AT&T entirely next year
Yours is probably fine, but you should check just in case
Last year, AT&T sent out an email to its customers warning that their phones would soon lose support on its network, requiring an upgrade to a new device. Things weren't quite as drastic as the email read on paper, but it still managed to cause a sense of panic and urgency among subscribers. As we approach the halfway mark for the year, it's worth making sure your phone won't be affected by AT&T's upcoming changes to its network.
Verizon reveals the shutdown date for its 3G CDMA network
Phones and other 3G devices will lose connection at the end of next year
Today, Verizon put a date on its intention to shut down its aging 3G network: December 31st, 2022. It's not just the end of the extremely widespread 3G system, but a watershed moment for Verizon, since its network began on CDMA technology when the company was first formed in 2000. Greater reliance on the GSM-based LTE network, and finally pushing more customers towards 5G, has let the company wean itself off of the outdated standard.
Cricket starts winding down 3G network, presenting a big problem for BYOD customers
Unsupported devices won't be able to be activated starting next week
If you're still using an old, non-LTE-capable phone on Cricket, we have bad news: the company will be shutting down its 3G UMTS networks in February 2022. Additionally, customers will no longer be able to activate their unsupported devices on Cricket starting January 19th, which is only a few days away. Because of the way Cricket handles BYOD phones, this is a real problem.
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Based on internal documents from T-Mobile given to Android Police, some older devices, including the OnePlus One, Xperia Z3 series, and Nexus 9, will be unable to connect to the company's network beginning on January 29th. 19 devices, including phones, tablets, and even cameras, are named by the document. Affected customers will be notified by SMS beginning on December 28th, and will be able to upgrade to one of four phones for free.
Verizon's 3G network is sticking around — at least for now
The company is backing down from previously scheduled shutdown plans
With how much Verizon has been hyping its 5G capabilities of late, some might be surprised to learn that the carrier's 3G network is still in operation. And what might be even more surprising is that, despite past statements about scheduling a shutdown, Verizon is now saying it has no pending plans to retire 3G.
T-Mobile warns Sprint customers of upcoming legacy cellular network shutdown
Plenty of time for incompatible devices to be switched out
T-Mobile and Sprint officially became one company this year, but Sprint's former network still exists as a separate entity. T-Mobile customers gained the ability to roam on Sprint's cell towers back in September (with the correct devices, anyway), and if recent news is correct, the legacy network might only stick around for another year.
If your T-Mobile phone doesn't have VoLTE, you could get kicked off the network soon
Metro by T-Mobile will also be affected, along with MVNOs like Google Fi, Mint, and Ting (Update: T-Mobile statement)
According to internal T-Mobile documents obtained by Android Police, the carrier plans to fast track the shutdown of its 3G voice network, forcing some customers to buy new phones or leave the network in a matter months. Most carriers have already shut down their legacy 2G networks, so the frequencies can be re-used for LTE and 5G, and 3G's expiration date is now quickly approaching. AT&T started warning customers this week that phones without 4G voice calling would no longer work starting in 2022, and it now appears T-Mobile will be following suit with an even more aggressive timeline.
AT&T is scaring customers into buying new phones with a misleading email
Even recent unlocked phones like the Galaxy S10e or the Nokia 6.1 are affected
Amid an economy-crushing pandemic, AT&T decided that now was a good time to send a scaremongering email to many of its customers, claiming that their phone "is not compatible with the new network and you need to replace it to continue receiving service." The email conveniently omits that this message is regarding a change that won't take place until February 2022, providing only a link that later calls out this change linked to the decommissioning of AT&T's legacy 3G network.
The 2019 smartphone lineup from Nokia increasingly focused on the mid-range and the budget segment, with the clear absence of a worthy flagship model. Maintaining that pattern, the resurrected Finnish brand today announced the Nokia C1 — one of the cheapest Android phones in its current portfolio. The new handset and its preloaded OS target the entry-level market portion in developing nations of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, where Nokia will soon roll it out.
Most of a smartphone's "smarts" come from its data connection. Without access to the internet—and, therefore, access to things like third-party apps—a smartphone is really just a dumbphone with a touchscreen. By all appearances, that's exactly what Samsung's built with its new Galaxy J2 Pro: a smartphone that supports calls and texts, but with no data connectivity.
Even if it's technically less capable and offers fewer apps than some newer Android Wear designs, the Samsung Gear S2 is still one of the best-looking smartwatches around, a year and a half after its original release. And as Samsung gadgets are wont to do, the Gear S2 seems to be rapidly dropping in price. The non-classic version is down to just $125 for a refurbished model over at Groupon - that's $175 off of the original retail price. Groupon is also offering a new model for $154.99, which is still a pretty good deal. Shipping is free.
Staying in a hotel with crappy Wi-Fi is frustrating, but not half so frustrating as finding this out by starting up your phone, connecting, realizing there's no Internet access, then manually disabling Wi-Fi to make sure it goes back to 3G or LTE. In Lollipop, Android 5.0 will do that for you: when the system sees no connection to the Internet (or more probably Google servers) via a Wi-Fi connection on a device with a cellular radio, it will automatically default to mobile data to keep an active connection. Neat!
Still riding high from the success of the LG G3, the Korean OEM is looking to capture some of the budget market with a pair of low-cost 3G phones. The LG L Fino and L Bello have several of the features that made the LG G3 great with much more modest specs.
Verizon is shaking up its prepaid plan options today, starting with a new name: ALLSET (ALL CAPS). Unlike some competitors, the basic plans start at a flat fee and the only expansion options come from Bridge data BRIDGE DATA add-on packs. The smartphone plan starts at $45 a month for unlimited voice calls and text messages, plus a somewhat paltry 500MB of data.
In a pair of exciting tweets (and a Google+ post), the Android team has announced that the WiFi Nexus 7 (both 2012 and 2013 models) will begin getting updated to Android 4.4 KitKat today, while the mobile data-enabled Nexus 7 and Nexus 4 will get the update "soon."