Britain’s BT announced that it’s phasing out 3G in the next two years as it maintains its plans to bring 5G to the entire country by 2028, reports Reuters.
According to BT Consumer CEO Marc Allera, traffic has more than quadrupled on its 5G network since October, when the iPhone 12 launched.
“EE is the first operator to set a time frame to stop supporting 3G services in early 2023, with customers supported to move off it in a phased transition in the months ahead,” he said in an online presentation.
BT also said that its 5G network would cover 50% of the UK population by early 2023, as it’s four years ahead of the government’s target.
By 2028, according to his predictions, EE’s 5G network would cover more than 90% of Britain.
In the US, something similar happened, as Verizon said it’s phasing out 3G at the end of 2022. The carrier is currently helping its customers with a 3G phone to switch to a 4G or even a 5G-capable smartphone.
Since 2016, we have stated publicly that we are actively decommissioning our 3G CDMA network. Initially, we announced we would close down our 3G network in 2019. However, we extended our shut-off date – first to the end of 2020 and now to the end of 2022 – in order to care for our customers and give them every effort to minimize disruptions to their service as they move to newer and more advanced technologies.
As Apple readies its next flagship iPhone, the company will help to popularize 5G even more. In February, a study from speed test provider Ookla and M Science that looked into the most popular 5G smartphones in the US, said the iPhone 12 Pro Max had become the most popular choice. Notably, the iPhone 12 lineup also made up the first three of the top five in the study.
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